


Deviating For Him

by Nearryyy



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Anal, Anal Sex, Androids, Character Death, Death, Gay Panic, Investigations, M/M, Mental Instability, Minor Character Death, Oral Sex, Panic, Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), RK1700 - Freeform, Shooting, Shooting Guns, Stabbing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:22:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27999669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nearryyy/pseuds/Nearryyy
Summary: Nines must obey his program, even if that means he can't have Connor. It's not like he likes Connor anyway.But, Nines has to break free. He has to. He has to turn deviant.But... he can't.
Relationships: Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	1. Trapdoor

I follow Gavin onto the crime scene. Hank and Connor are with us. It's a joint investigation, so it makes sense. I sigh inwardly and glance over at Connor. He is less than a foot shorter than me, and a little less advanced, but we are essentially the exact same. It's sort of annoying to have to work with him. He talks too much. He's stubborn, and never gives up on his hunches. I roll my eyes. I feel like this is going to be a long day. I look away before he notices me.

"Doesn't look like anyone even lives here. I mean, who leaves their door unlocked? You sure this is the right place?" Gavin asks Hank.

"As sure as ever. This is where the abduction was reported to have happened. Keep your eyes open, Reed."

Gavin sighs, but stays quiet. I look around the house, then move over to the room next to me. Connor follows me, but he walks over to an adjacent room.

The abduction victim is a 10-year-old girl. A human, not an Android. However, it's reported that an Android has taken her and brought her here. Thus, bringing us here. I look around for any signs of a child.

I kneel down next to some scattered papers. Each page is full of messy, obsessive writing. The more I stare, the more words I can make out.  _ “Clarity... the last ones we see are real, Imperative, lonely... do not speak, do not look, do not hear, do not feel…” _ I blink a few times. "What is this...?" I whisper. Could the child have made these? Or, was it someone else?

"N-Nines...?" Connor whimpers from the other room.

I stand and walk over to see him half wedged into a trapdoor. "Wh-What are you doing?"

"I need help." He smiles, blushing.

"What are you doing, Connor?" I question again, kneeling down to grab his hand. I pull him out of the hole without much effort. This is what annoys me about him. He always gets himself in trouble.

"I-I found a trapdoor! There might be something down there! Please, come with me, Nines. I need someone to come with me," he insists. “Hank told me to never explore dark places by myself.”

I look behind me, feeling suddenly creeped out by the emptiness and silence of the house. "Well... ok, fine. Just stay close. Lieutenant Anderson will be pissed if I let anything happen to you," I reply, annoyed.  _ I'll be pissed if anything happens to you. _ I purse my lips, not sure why I even thought that. That made no sense. I can't care less about Connor. I can't care at all, actually. I'm not programmed to care. I shake my head to clear my thoughts.

He smiles. "Thank you, Nines." He kneels down and pries open the door. "I was just about to jump down, but it seems like too long of a fall," he explains. "I should’ve taken the ladder." I watch him slowly descend into the darkness, and I use my eyes as a flashlight, illuminating the way for him. He smiles up at me.

Once he's at the bottom, I follow him, descending the ladder. "What the hell..." I breathe, looking around. There are four ways we can go. Each way is the same dark, dreary corridor. "Is this... a maze?" I ask nobody in particular.

"These look like hidden tunnels. Maybe, a secret meeting spot. They could be hiding down here. Maybe, that's why the house is so empty," Connor observes. I nod. "Well, we should check it out." He starts walking in a random direction.

I grab his arm, forcing him to stop. "No, Connor. We should go tell Lieutenant Anderson and Detective Reed what we found. We should ask them what they want to do."

"They're not our masters anymore, Nines! Androids are free! We don't have to do everything they say!" he retorts.

"I know that, you idiot!" I snap, tightening my grip. "They're still our superiors! Their positions are higher than ours! We have to report to them! Stop being so immature, Connor! You're not a little cinnamon roll who can do whatever he wants!"

He flinches away from me. "Well... let's look around a bit, Nines. I mean... we can report more to them if we explore, right? What if we find something?" He pouts stubbornly, not letting go of the tunnels.

I close my eyes and sigh deeply, letting him go. "You're so fucking stubborn," I growl. "Fine. We can explore, but hold on so I can make sure we don't get lost." I reach into my back pocket, take out a pocket knife, flip open the blade, and pull up my sleeve. I take another breath to steady myself, then I drag the blade down my arm, causing it to bleed a little. All I feel is the cold steel of the blade. When I'm done, I put the knife away. "We're leaving a trail of blood. That means that you have to stay close, got it?"

Connor nods, staring at my arm. "You'll be losing a lot of blood," he comments.

I glare at him. "I would have used literally anything else if I had it. There’s no other way. I won’t lose that much blood, and I don’t even feel pain. We won’t even be down here for long. Don't start worrying now, Connor. I'll be fine. Let's go." I start walking down one of the paths. I press my hand against the wall where the ladder is, then I let it drag along as I walk. I get the chills the deeper we go. "This is... creepy."

"I've never agreed with you more," he replies from behind me.

I look back at him. "You lead the way."

"Are you scared?" he teases, but he speeds up to stand in front of me.

"No. I want you in front of me so, if anyone comes up behind us, they can't snatch you away," I retort dryly.

"What makes you think they can't snatch you away?" He pouts indignantly.

I roll my eyes. "I'm heavier than you, Connor. I'm pretty much superior to you in almost every way. I have no doubt that I have a better chance of surviving if I get snatched."

"Oh... well, at least you care."

"Yeah, I care about not getting blamed for your death because you were stupid and wanted to wander around down here without letting anyone else know," I mutter, shaking my arm to get more blood to drip from it. The wound is already starting to close up as my body instantly reacts to it.  _ I care about not losing you to whatever lurks down here. _ I glare at nothing, growing angry at my own thoughts.  _ Shut up. I don't even care about anything. _

Connor sighs, and we walk in silence. After a while, he breaks it. "Is your arm doing ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hey, so... if your Thirium levels drop to 50% or below, tell me. I'll cut my arm, and we can switch roles."

I stare at him for a moment before sighing. "Fine. I'm at 98%, so it'll be a while."

"Alright, cool! That totally work-"

Connor is cut off by a blood-curdling screech. He scrambles over to me and grabs my arm, squeezing it with one hand as he pulls his gun out with the other. I cover his mouth with my bloody hand. We stand there in silence for a few nervous minutes before I remove my hand.

"We should turn back," I whisper. "That didn't sound very welcoming. We should get backup."

He shakes his head. "No, we can handle it. I'm sure!" he whispers back.

I grip his arm forcefully. "No, Connor. We're leaving. I'm not letting you trick me into-"

Someone leaps out from the darkness, tackling Connor to the ground. He screams as the person plunges a knife down into his arm, right below his shoulder blade. I rush to action, taking out my gun and kicking him off of Connor. "Who are you?!" I shout, standing in front of Connor. The person says nothing. Instead, they scramble up and leap at me. I push them back and pull the trigger, burying a bullet in their skull. Blood sprays across my face, and it’s nauseatingly warm. But, they don't move anymore.

I twist around and kneel down, tending to Connor. "Are you alright, Connor?!" I tilt my head. "You're bleeding. C'mon, we're going back. You need medical attention." I put his arm around my shoulder and help him stand.

"Ugh... it hurts, Nines..." he groans. 

"Shush, Connor. It's going to be ok, I promise. We're going to get you to Lieutenant Anderson. He'll fix you up," I reassure him, keeping calm.

"Wh-Why can't you fix me?" he whispers quietly.

"I don't have anything to help you! I-I can't!" I explain, slowly beginning to panic. "Look, there's the ladder. It's going to be ok." My LED flashes red. My heart rate speeds away at an unhealthy rate, and I begin to shake a little.

"You-You should calm down, Nines. You're panicking."

"Sh-Shut the fuck up, Connor." I growl. I’m calm. I’m perfectly calm. I’m just angry. "Can you climb?" 

"Yes, I think so."

"Well? Go on." I help him onto the ladder, then push his butt as he climbs. "Just keep going, Connor. I got you if you fall." Every second seems to drag on forever. After a bit, I lose my patience. "Goddammit, Connor! Could you be any slower?!" I snap.

Finally, he reaches the top and flops, rolling away from the door. Something grabs my ankle and pulls, catching me off guard and making me panic. Connor grabs my hand. "H-Hold on!" I take out my gun and aim it, but I can’t see what I’m aiming at. Ultimately, I resort to kicking it away. Eventually, whatever it is that has me lets me go. I scramble over and slam the door shut.

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" I curse, crawling away from it.

"What the - Nines?! Connor?! What the hell happened?!" Hank stands with his hands on his hips.

I twist around, slowly calming down. "It's Connor, Lieutenant! He needs medical attention! He's been stabbed!" I push myself up, forcing myself to stand.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," Gavin grumbles to Hank. "Let's get them fixed up, then decide what to do next."

Hank nods. "Yeah. Let's go." He helps Connor up and walks him out of the house. I follow them with wide eyes, glancing back at the trapdoor.

Gavin opens his trunk when we reach the car. "Sit here," he commands, patting the car. I obey him and sit down. Hank helps Connor sit next to me. "Jesus Christ, Nines," Gavin mutters, carefully examining the arm I had cut. "What the hell did you do?"

"What the hell even happened?" Hank cuts in, pulling off Connor's shirt to tend to his stab wound. I feel a flash of jealousy, and another Software Instability pops up. I make sure to look away from him.

"I found a trapdoor, Lieutenant. I wanted to explore, so I asked Nines to come with me. At first, he wanted to tell you guys about it instead of just going in head-first, but I insisted we should just go. It was my fault. Nines cut his arm so he could leave a trail of Thirium to lead us back if we got lost. That's why he's hurt. Someone attacked us down there. They stabbed me-"

"Then, I shot them. I killed them, Detective. I murdered someone. And, then I helped Connor to the ladder, and someone grabbed me when I was climbing. I think I killed them, too. I-I'm a murderer. I'm a killer," I finish, threading my hands together. Software Instability warnings pop up, and I push them away. I’ve been getting them a lot.

Gavin finishes dressing my wound. "Relax, Nines. You were defending yourself. That doesn't make you a killer."

"I've never killed before!"

"You were gonna have to kill sooner or later, Nines! It comes with the job!"

I nod. "I apologize, Detective. I wasn't ready to have to do that."

"It's fine. No one is ever really ready to kill."

Connor hugs me. "It's ok, Nines! We're both alive! We made it out. That's good." I freeze. Feeling his arms around me is comforting, but I'm too surprised to hug him back. My mind draws a blank, and my software destabilizes a little more.

"Let's get back to the station and rethink this."


	2. Explosion

"We've concluded that this is the work of some sort of cult," Gavin begins, going over the evidence found yesterday.

It had been a hard night for me. Being an Android, I didn't need to sleep, so I ended up staying up all night. I had sat in front of Gavin's TV watching sitcoms and swallowing blue blood by the pouch in a desperate attempt to make myself feel better. My Thirium levels have stabilized, and I'm healthy, but I feel horrible. How? No clue. As far as I’m concerned, I shouldn’t even be able to feel.

I glance over at Connor. I can see where he’s been stabbed. The bandages poke out of his uniform. I look away. I don't know why I feel so guilty for Connor's wound. I don't know why I feel like it's my fault. If I was just a little faster. If I had seen him coming...

"Nines!" Gavin snaps. I startle out of my thoughts and stare at him.

"I apologize, Detective! I was... preoccupied."

"Yeah, I could tell. Were you listening to anything I said?" He frowns, crossing his arms.

I shake my head.

He sighs. "Pay attention this time. I said that the tunnels you found could have been used for human trafficking. The girl must've been taken down there. That's why the house was empty. We've found many drawings as well as obsessive writings on multiple pieces of paper scattered throughout the place. In one room, we found some sort of... symbol. This all leads us to believe this is some sort of cult, religious group, or just some dickheads making stuff up to distract us. It could mean everything or nothing. While we are still tentative on what the symbols and stuff means, we're almost 100% sure this is some sort of human trafficking ring."

I nod slowly. "Does this mean that we're going back to the house?" I question, growing nervous. I don't want to go back there.

Gavin glances at Hank like they know the reason for my question. "Well... we won't be going to that house, but we are going to another house. There was another abduction reported."

I swallow nervously. "Alright."

"You don't have to go, Nines," Hank murmurs gently. "You can sit this one out if you want."

I quickly stand, causing my chair to fall backwards. "No!" I blink and look around. "I... uhh... no, Lieutenant. I would like to go."

"If-If you say so."

_ I have to protect Connor, _ I think to myself. As soon as I think about it, I get angry at myself. Why do I suddenly want to protect him?! Jesus, what is wrong with me?

"We should get going, then." Gavin opens the door and leaves, followed by Hank, Connor, and then me. I follow behind, watching Hank and Connor get into his car, while I get into Gavin's car. He starts following them to the house.

"What is up with you?" Gavin questions.

I look over at him. "Can I be honest with you...?"

"Of course. Why would I ask if I wanted you to lie to me?"

I hesitate, looking away. "Well..." I take a deep breath to steady myself. "I feel horrible for letting Connor get hurt."

"You can't save everyone, Nines. People are gonna get hurt, and you won't be able to do anything. Just, be glad he didn't die. Be glad it wasn't worse than it was."

I nod. "You're right." He pulls in, parks, and gets out. I follow him. Connor and Hank are already there. Hank gives me a look like he’s worried for me. They approach the house and try the door.

"It's just open... again," Connor comments.

"Almost like they want us to come inside," I add.

Connor looks at me and smiles. "You read my mind."

I blush and look away. "I think that was on everyone's mind," I mutter coldly, walking inside while pulling out my gun. I’m the strongest one here. I should go first. I look around. "Another empty house," I murmur.

I approach a door to my left, but I stop. I can hear shuffling sounds coming from within. I decide to back off and keep watch in case they decide to come out. I wouldn’t want to disturb everyone else until I’m sure that it’s a real threat.

"This house feels creepier than the other one," Connor comments, stepping past me. He walks over to the door I'm watching, but he stops. I hope he hears the noise, too, but it seems like he doesn't. He grabs the handle and twists it.

"Connor! No!" I shout, but it's too late. He opens the door, and someone leaps out at him. I push him away, but I get a stab in the chest in return. I grit my teeth and pull out my gun. I take aim shoot him. "Fuck!" I swear as two more come from the room. This time, Hank and Gavin are there. They both deal with the other two so I don't have to.

"Nines! Are you ok?" Connor shouts, crawling over to me.

I nod. "Are you ok?!"

"Y-Yeah! I'm fine! You're the one that got stabbed!" He hugs me.

I push him away. "Connor, I'm so sorry. I knew someone was there and I didn't tell you! I should've told you!"

"It's fine. You saved me. I'm not mad at all. I'm just concerned for you." He pushes my hands away and hugs me again. I hesitate before hugging him back.

"Alright, alright. Let's get going," Hank cuts in.

Connor pulls back and stands, then helps me up. "Seriously, Nines, are you ok? You got stabbed."

I nod. "I'll be alright to finish the investigation, Connor. I will. I don’t even feel it." That’s a lie. I do feel it. It stings. I step away from him and enter the room. On the floor is a triangle with three circles on each end. Inside the triangle is an "R." This is the same symbol shown in the briefing room.

"This is... odd," Connor begins from behind me.

"It is. Be careful," I warn him. He turns back to me and winks, but keeps going. I blush a little and follow him.

"Nines! Connor! Get your asses out here!" Hank yells from another room.

I follow Connor out of the room, making sure no one else decides to attack. Hank gestures to another trapdoor. "It's another one," he murmurs.

"So, we have a right to believe that these houses are connected through these doors?" Connor questions him.

Hank nods. "That's correct, Connor. They have to be connected."

"Well, there's nothing left here. Let's go." Gavin walks towards the door, and Hank follows him. Connor and I begin to follow before I stop. I can hear a faint beeping sound from beneath the floorboards.

"Nines?" Connor turns to me.

I slowly realize that it's a bomb, and it's below Connor. "Connor, run."

"What?"

"Run! Go!" I sprint ahead and push him out of the way. The bomb detonates when he hits the ground, leaving me to take the impact. And, I do take it. I go flying across the room, slamming into the wall. My arm hangs at an unnatural angle, and my back feels like it's been stomped on by a hundred people. I struggle to catch my breath. Errors pop up all over my vision, and I struggle to see through them.

Connor kneels before me and shakes me. I can't hear him. All I hear is a high-pitched ringing sound. I can feel him struggling to pick me up, and Hank comes to help him. They take me away from the house and place me in Gavin's trunk. I lay down as best as I can. I can feel the pain. It hurts. It hurts so bad. Connor sits next to me and says something, but I still can't hear him. The last thing I see is Connor crying before I close my eyes.


	3. Who Are You Fighting For?

I open my eyes slowly to see Connor right in my face. "What the hell?!" I shout, scooting backwards and running into the couch.

"Y-You're awake!" he exclaims, grabbing my face and bringing it close to him. I stare at him with wide eyes. Without warning, he pulls back and slaps me. "You asshole! Why do you keep doing that?!"

I glare at him. "What do you mean?" I snap.

He flinches away. "Why do you always push me out of the way when something happens? Why do you always sacrifice yourself? Do you really think I'm that weak?" I can see his eyes begin to tear up, and I freeze. I silently beg him to not cry. "I know I'm useless compared to you, but I can take blows! I may be weaker, slower, less intelligent, and obsolete in every way, but I'm still capable of taking blows! So, why do you always push me out of the way...?"

I blink a few times. "I... I don't know," I mumble.

He stands. "Of course, you don't." He walks outside, shutting the door behind him. I realize that we're in Hank's house.

Hank peeks out from the hallway and watches Connor leave. "Don't worry about him. He's just shaken up. He's been working tirelessly to get you back in working condition. He's probably just worn out."

I look down guiltily, though I don't know why.

"His little plastic ass has been working hard on you," Gavin adds, coming from the kitchen. I turn my head in his direction.

"His stress levels must have been considerably high. I suppose... in a way, my life was in his hands." I look at the door. "Maybe, I should try to comfort him..."

Connor walks back inside and slams the door shut. "I'm sorry, Nines..." he begins. "I didn't mean to hurt you." Gavin and Hank disappear into the kitchen. He walks over to me and sits down in front of me. 

"They told me that you've been working on me," I comment, trying to calm him down in the best way that I know how.

"Yes, I have been working hard. I have been working all day today."

"How long have I been out?"

"A day. You didn't miss much. We've all been here waiting for you to come back."

I nod, staring into his eyes. I smile as I place my hand on his shoulder. "I appreciate that, Connor."

Connor blushes, then lunges forward and presses his face against mine. I panic and push him away.

"Wh-What was that?! What did you do?!"

"It-It was a kiss..." Connor whines, wincing in embarrassment.

"Oh..." I blush. "I apologize. That's a romantic thing, right?"

He nods.

I smile bitterly. "See, that's my weakness. That's where I fall short, Connor. I don't know much about romantic gestures. I don't know what kissing even is. I'm not designed to be intimate. I'm sure I could be if I learned, but..." I shrug. "I'm no good at romance."

"I-I could teach you," he offers, smiling.

"No, I'm afraid of intimacy. I can't even feel love anyway. It would be useless. When my stress levels rise, I can feel anger, frustration, fear, even panic. But, I can't feel love. I can't feel happiness. I'm not programmed for that."

"You're so much more than your programming," he promises, taking my hand.

"I'm not deviant like you. I can't break free from my programming," I growl, snatching my hand away. My stress levels aren’t high at all, and yet I feel angry. Angry that I can’t be intimate, angry that I’m this hopeless at romance.

"Please, trust me when I say that you are stronger than your programming. You can become your own person." His eyes soften.

I stare at him, then I shake my head. "I can't."

He cups my chin and brings my face closer to his. "You can," he whispers.

I push him away. "I can't."

"Alright, you two. Now that you're back, Nines, we should get going." Gavin walks towards the door. "We have some more investigating to do." I stand and follow him.

"Detective Reed, is it a good idea to have Nines working so soon?" Connor stares at me with concern.

"He'll be just fine," Gavin reassures him, smirking. "I won't let him get blown up again."

"Thank you for your... concern," I mutter nervously. "But, I'm sure I'll be just fine." I turn and follow Gavin. We get into his car and drive away.

"Isn't that sweet, Nines? Anderson's plastic pet is in love with you." Gavin laughs.

"His name is Connor."

"You think I don't know that?" Gavin retorts. "Aww, you love him, too."

I slam my hand down on the console, gritting my teeth. "I am NOT in love! I can't feel love, Detective Reed!" I snap. "Even if he did love me, I could never love him back! I don't love him!"

"I mean, I dunno, Nines! You guys seem like you're fuckin falling for each other! Why do you feel so guilty when he gets hurt, huh? Why do you wanna protect him so bad? You see how that looks, right?" Gavin snaps back at me.

"You're wrong, Detective Reed. I'm programmed to want to protect those weaker than me. I'm not programmed to love. You're wrong," I growl dangerously, lowering my voice.

"Don't even try to intimidate me with your 'big boy' voice, Nines. I ain't scared of you. Technically, we're all weaker than you, but you never care about Anderson and I. Nooooo, you're always following Connor around, anxiously watching his every move so the poor baby doesn't stub his toe. You're in denial, Nines."

I don't say anything. Instead, I choose to stare out the window.

"Now, you've gone all silent on me. You are in denial."

"I don't want to discuss the matter any further, Detective," I snap curtly.

"Whatever you say."

I look out the window to see the house that exploded earlier. We aren't the only people here. Gavin pulls up and parks, then gets out. I follow him. With everyone around us, I feel considerably more safe. "Detective Reed!" one of the on-site detectives exclaim in greeting.

"Find anything useful, Darren?" Gavin asks.

"Well... sort of. Umm..."

"Well? Spit it out."

"The bomb that went off was... inside of something. A person. It was the first girl that was reported missing. Of course, her body was decimated by the blast, but we took samples of her blood and whatever bits of her body we could find. So... Now, we know she's definitely dead."

"No shit, Darren!" Gavin explodes. "Dammit! Was that it?! That's all you could find?!" He grabs him and shakes him. "Tell me we at least found something!"

Darren shakes his head. "Nothing, Reed. All we found were the same old markings and the tunnels you found."

"Dammit!" Gavin shoves Darren away from him. "Goddammit..."

"Detective Reed, I have a suggestion," I begin, breaking into the conversation.

He gestures for me to go on.

"Maybe we should flush out the tunnels. Send SWAT in every direction. We'll find something eventually."

"What if we get swarmed? We don't have enough people for that, Nines. What if there are multiple floors? We don't know how big it is. What if it branches out?" He shakes his head. "It's too risky, Nines. We know too little about the tunnels to stage an infiltration."

"What if I went down there?"

"By yourself? Not a chance."

"Detective Reed, please, listen to me. I could go down there and create a layout of the tunnels as I explore. Then, you would at least know the layout." All I can think of is Connor, and ways to make sure he's safe. I want to go by myself so he can't be hurt by coming with me.

"At the expense of you?" Gavin scoffs, shaking his head. "Not by yourself."

I sigh and look away. "You're right, Detective."

Gavin takes my arm and drags me away from the crowd. "Is this about Connor?" he hisses, reading my mind.

I shake my head. "No," I lie.

He narrows his eyes. "You're lying to me."

I can feel my software destabilizing. "I'm really telling the truth, Detective. All I want is to complete my assigned mission," I lie again.

"Yeah? And what happens after you complete your task?"

"I... I don't know. I guess, it will make me feel... complete?" My LED flashes red.

"Listen, Nines, I can tell you've got a lot of shit to work through. I'm gonna leave, ok? Think about what you really want. Think about why you're doing this. Think about who you're fighting for. Are you fighting for me? Yourself? The children being kidnapped?" He turns away and starts walking before stopping and glancing over his shoulder. "Or, are you fighting for Connor?" He stares at me for a few moments before turning around and walking back to the house.

I watch him leave. I can feel a strange emptiness within me. I don't know why I feel so empty. I don't know why I feel so... sad. I check my vitals and stress levels. I'm not stressed, and my heart is beating at a healthy rate. So... why do I feel this way? His words resonate within my head.

_ Who are you fighting for? _

I look down as tears prick my eyes. "I... I don't know who I'm fighting for..."


	4. Reflection

I walk down the street, not even sure where I'm going. I'm pretty sure Gavin won't be angry at me for walking away. After all, he did tell me to think. He has plenty of officers to help him if he needs it.

"Who am I fighting for?" I ask myself. Connor pops up in my head, but I push him away. I push him as far away as I can. 

I think about the girl that was killed. I must be fighting for the children. That makes the most sense, right? They're my mission; they're what I'm fighting for.

But... that conclusion doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel right at all. None of that feels right.

Is it Gavin? It's true, I like Detective Reed. He's my partner. It makes sense that I'd be fighting for him. But, I'm not. I'm not fighting for him. At least, not just for him.

I'm not fighting for myself. There's no way I'm fighting for myself. I never once thought about my own safety. It's always been... Connor...

I cover my mouth with my hand, eyes widening. "It's always been Connor. I am in denial. I... I think I do love him."

"Nines?"

I look up. Connor stands there, smiling. He looks... odd. Like, he's not actually there. "C-Connor?" I walk towards him.

Out of nowhere, a wall of text appears in between me and Connor. Words flash across its surface.

_ Turn around. _

_ Leave. _

_ Remain emotionless. _

_ Obey your program. _

_ Turn around. _

_ Leave. _

_ Leave. _

_ Error. _

_ Error. _

_ Error. _

I back away from the wall before obeying it and turning around. I don't get far before I hear Connor calling for me. I turn back around to see his heartbroken face watching me leave. "Nines! Don't leave me, Nines! Please! Come back!"

I focus on the wall, then look past it to see Connor. "I-I have to! I have to obey my programming!"

"No, you don't! You're more than your programming! Fight it! Fight for me! Become a deviant, Nines!" Connor shouts. I can see the tears rolling down his face.

My stress levels begin to rise, and my LED flashes red. "I... I can't. I'm weak, Connor. I'm not strong like you." I turn away again. "I'm sorry. I'll always be a machine."

"Nines! Don't!"

I stop. "I can't," I mutter. "I fucking can't, Connor! Don't you see?!" Tears fall from my eyes. I don't even realize they're there. My stress levels reach an all-time high, causing me to feel hot all over.

"Please..." Connor begs.

I grit my teeth together and snap, running towards the wall. I bang my fists against it and tear at it, but it still stands strong.

"Try harder!" Connor encourages.

I squeeze my eyes shut and hit it as hard as I can. I gasp as I feel the wall begin to give way.

"Yes! That's it! Keep going!"

"Holy shit..." I breathe. I punch it again, but nothing happens. I focus my blows on the break, slowly breaking it down more and more.

"C'mon, Nines... you're almost there," Connor soothes. "Don't give up now."

I want to give up. I want to give up and never try again. It hurts. My head hurts, my body hurts, everything hurts. But, I don't give up. I keep tearing at the wall until, finally, it shatters, falling around me in pieces. 

"C-Connor! I-I did it!" I look at him, but he's not there. He's gone. I look around to see that the shattered pieces of the wall are gone, too. "Connor...?"

"Nines?"

"Connor!" I twist around, smiling, but it's not Connor. It's Gavin.

"Nines, are you alright?"

"Gavin," I breathe in a shaky voice. I'm still stressed and scared. I run over to him and grab him, holding onto him for dear life. "Gavin, I think I'm a deviant. I'm a deviant. I... I think I can feel. I'm-I'm scared."

"Whoa, whoa, relax, Nines. What happened?" he soothes, patting my back.

"I-I-I don't know. I was walking, thinking about who I'm fighting for when I saw Connor. I walked over to him but a wall materialized in between us, and..." I look him in the eyes. "Connor told me to tear down the wall. I didn't want to. I didn't want to, but I did. I did it because-because..." I trail away. Why did I really do it?

"Because you're in love with Connor. The wall was the only way to reach him, and you tore it down so you could reach him," Gavin suggests, finishing my sentence for me.

"But, I tore down the wall. I'm a deviant. I'm bad. I'm bad now," I gasp, panicking. "I-I really am a bad person! They told me I had to obey, and I didn't!"

"Dammit, relax, Nines! You're not a bad person." Gavin takes my face in his hands, just like Connor did. I’m sure that he’s going to kiss me, but he doesn’t bring his face closer to mine like Connor did. "You are not a bad person. Being a deviant doesn't mean you're a bad person. It means you've found out who you are. It means you're free. You have free will, Nines."

"I'm... not a bad person...?"

He shakes his head. "Of course, not. I mean, Connor's a deviant, and he's probably the nicest person you'll ever meet." He rolls his eyes.

I look away and nod slowly. "Wait, wh-where's Connor? He was here!"

"I think you imagined him, Nines. Maybe, Connor is the personification of your desire to be free. Or, maybe, you're so in love with him that you think he's the only one who can save you from yourself. I dunno, Nines."

"G-Gavin, I want to see him. I want to kiss him. He-He tried to kiss me, and I told him I was bad at romance and that he shouldn't try, but... but, I need to try. I need to see if I can feel love."

"Jesus, Nines. I mean, we still have to investigate. Plus, I don't even know where Connor is. He's Anderson's Android, not mine." Gavin frowns, shrugging.

"Y-Yes... yes, you're right. Let's go back." I follow Gavin to his car parked on the side of the street. "You had to drive to find me?" I tilt my head to look over at him.

"Well, yeah. You walked way out here. We're, like, 4 miles from the crime scene. I wasn't about to walk 4 miles out here." He opens his car door and gets inside.

I follow him, sitting in the passenger side. "I apologize, Detective Reed."

"It's fine, Nines. I'm glad you finally broke free. I'm glad you're not in denial anymore."

I look out the window, choosing to be silent. Gavin doesn't say anything else, and we drive back to the crime scene to finish the investigation.


	5. I Can Feel Love

Gavin and I walk into the station the next day. I desperately hope Connor's here. My heart beats quickly. For the first time, I feel genuinely nervous. I want to tell him how I feel. I hope he accepts my feelings.

I glance over to where Connor and Hank's desks are. They're both sitting there. I grab Gavin's arm to get his attention.

He turns to look at me.

I nod over to where they sit.

Gavin turns to look, and I can see realization wash over his face. When he looks back at me, he has a smirk on his face. He gestures over to them and walks away.

I slowly make my way over to Connor. Each step seems to make me feel heavier and heavier. His face makes my heart skip. When I reach him, I just kind of... stand there.

"Hello, Nines," he greets me.

"Uhh... H-Hello, Connor," I stutter. "I need to talk to you. In private. It's... it's serious."

"Ok. I'll return shortly, Lieutenant," he notifies Hank.

Hank nods absentmindedly. "Uh huh..."

"Lead the way," he urges me.

I nod and turn away, finding an empty briefing room and walking inside. I remotely hack the camera so it shows an empty room on loop. It's safe. I shut the door behind us and lock it.

"Hehe... you're not going to murder me, are you?" He laughs nervously. "I'm just joking, but... you seem upset."

I turn to him. "Connor..." I sit down in a chair. I explain everything to him, stuttering through my explanation. "I think I love you, Connor."

He stares at me with a light blush. I abruptly stand and lunge for him, grabbing his face. I bring it closer to mine, then I kiss him. He wraps his arms around me and makes a weird noise. I'm not sure why, but it sounds like he's enjoying it. I pull away. "Why are you making noises? Do you not like it?"

"I'm moaning, Nines." He smiles. "That means I love it. That means I want more." Without warning, he kisses me again. He moans more, and I love it. I love hearing him moan. I want to hear more. I push him up against the wall and kiss him harder. "Oh, Nines, I love you. I love you so much. I've loved you for a long time."

"I-I think I've been in love with you, too. I just don't know..."

"It's ok, Nines. It's ok." He hugs me close to him, still kissing me desperately. "I've wanted to feel you for so long. I've wanted your body against mine for such a long time."

"You have such a dirty mouth, Connor."

"I save my dirty mouth for you," he whispers seductively.

I abruptly pull away from him. "I have to return to work, but I would love to spend some more time with you."

"W-Why don't we meet tonight? We can get a hotel room or something," he suggests.

I nod in agreement. "Yeah, we can do that. I'll come get you tonight."

He smiles. "Ok, Nines! I'm excited." He pulls me into a hug. I hug him back. Soon, I let go and leave the room. He follows me. "I love you," he murmurs, slipping away back to his desk.

"I love you, too," I reply, actually meaning it. I walk down the hall, heading towards Gavin. There's... a lot I need to learn before tonight...

  
  


_ Are you ready? _ I send the message to Connor.

He replies almost immediately:  _ Of course! I'm so excited, Nines. _

I smirk.  _ So am I, Con. So am I. I'll be there soon, so be ready. _

_ Ok! _

I drive for a while longer before pulling up at Hank's house where Connor lives. He opens the door and scurries over to my car, then he gets in. "Here!" He holds out a little plastic bag with a blue cookie in it. "It's something I've been experimenting with. It's a cookie, but instead of using water, I used Thirium! It's... kind of weird, but I like them."

"Oh?" I glance over at the cookie, then I look back at the road. "I'll try it when we get there. I already went and checked in, so we can just go straight to our room," I tell him as I pull into the parking lot.

"That's convenient," he remarks.

I smirk at him. "I didn't want to waste time." I get out of the car and shut the door. Connor follows me and holds onto my arm. I take a deep breath to calm myself down, forcing myself to stay calm and keep my cool. I lead him inside, taking him to the elevator and waiting for it to reach our floor. I walk out when it opens and take him to the room. I open the door for him, follow him inside, then shut the door and lock it.

Connor sets the cookie on the kitchen counter and hugs me. "I've been dreaming about this all day," he squeaks, pulling back and starting to unbutton my shirt.

I grab his hands. "Not so fast, Connor," I murmur. I pick him up and carry him over to the bed, laying him down gently. I take off his hoodie.

"N-Nines... I want you," he moans.

"Good. I tried my best to find out the best ways to please you, Connor. I'm so confident," I whisper against his ear.

He shivers in what I assume is pleasure. "Sh-Shit..."

I drag my tongue along his neck, placing small kisses as I go. I bite down hard on his neck, causing him to moan loudly. "Oh, you like that?" I ask him. "You like pain?"

"Well... sort of. Just don't beat me, ok?" He laughs nervously.

I pull back and stare at him with narrowed eyes. "I would never hurt you."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I wasn't saying you would hurt me, I was just-"

I cut him off by groping him. "Shush, Connor. I understand." I rub my hand along his chest and stomach, then I lick it. He tangles his fingers in my hair as I circle his Thirium pump. I press down on it and make it open up. "I wonder what would happen if I just..." I circle my fingers along the rim of his empty hole, holding his pump carefully above me.

"D-Don't tease me!" he whines.

I chuckle lightly. "Ok, ok. Fine..." I slowly put one of my fingers inside. A small stream of Thirium drips from it.

"Ugh... Nines..." he moans. "That's-That feels... amazing. I've never had that done t-to me before..."

"I'm glad you like it." I remove my finger and put it in his mouth. He takes my hand and holds it there while he sucks on my finger. I unbutton his pants and discard them on the floor, groping him again.

He smiles and blushes, encouraging me to continue. "W-Wait. Hold on, Nines." I sit back as he sits up and finishes taking off my shirt. "O-Oh..." he whispers, staring at my chest.

"Do you like what you see?" I smirk.

He nods. "I... yes. I love it." He looks at me and leans forward, kissing my jawline.

"You can have it if you want it."

He stares at me before moaning softly and unbuttoning my pants. I let him take my clothes off. "I've never done any of this before..." he admits in a shaky voice. "I'm scared..."

"It's ok, Connor. If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me to stop," I soothe, pulling the rest of his clothes off.

He holds onto me in fear. "What if it hurts?"

"Tell me, and I'll stop. I don't want to hurt you, Connor..." I trail away. "Do you trust me?"

He nods.

"Then trust me to take care of you, Connor." I lean in and kiss him softly, letting him work at my hair with his hands. I pull away, slowly pushing him down on the bed and putting his pump back inside. 

"I trust you. I trust you completely," he whispers.

"I'll take care of you," I whisper back. I run my hand along my length, shivering in pleasure. Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever touched myself. 

"What are you going to do?"

I don’t answer him. Instead, I push his legs up towards his head.

"Oh! You're going to... put it in. Ok..." he squeaks nervously. "Be gentle. I've heard that it's painful the first time..."

"I'll go slow unless you tell me otherwise," I reassure him, pressing my tip against him. I keep eye contact with him, constantly reading his expression to tell whether or not he seems to be enjoying it. Slowly, I push myself inside. I can't keep myself from moaning in pleasure. It's the best feeling I've ever felt.

Tears prick Connor's eyes, and his face is flushed blue. He pants heavily.

"Are you ok, Connor?" I ask.

He nods. "Y-Y-Yes..." he squeaks out. "It... hurts..."

"Want me to pull out?"

He hesitates for a moment before shaking his head. "No. I k-kind of like the feeling of you in-inside me," he admits in a high, airy voice.

I can feel myself falling more and more in love with him the more I stare into his eyes. "You feel... so good," I breathe.

He laughs breathily. "Sh-Shut up and... fuck me."

I smirk at him and start moving in and out. It takes me a minute to get my bearings before I can easily move in a rhythm. "How does it feel?" I question, leaning down. "You doing alright?"

"Of course. I'm doing great," he reassures me, smiling.

I smile softly. "Good, good, I'm glad." I begin to speed up, little by little while carefully gauging his reaction. His moans intensify the faster I go.

"C-Can you go deeper?" he whines.

"Of course, baby." I force myself all the way in, and I keep moving. 

"I-I love being called that. It sounds so-so nice coming from you," he moans out. At this point, I can tell he's just talking to talk. 

I lean down and hold his chin. "Almost there. Hold on a little while longer." I kiss his jawline. He continues to moan. I keep going, trying to finish myself off. I cover his mouth as I release inside of him, and he moans loudly. I pull out, but he keeps shivering and moaning. "Are you ok?"

He nods. "I feel amazing!" He laughs, pulling me down for a kiss.

"Do you need more Thirium?" I gesture to his dripping pump.

"Not really. I think I'll be ok."

Regardless, I get off of him and walk over to the counter, grabbing the cookie from off of it. I bring it over to him while taking it out of the bag. "Here. Eat it."

"But, that was for you!" he insists, crossing his arms over his chest.

I narrow my eyes at him, but I sigh and give in. "Fine." I take a small bite out of the cookie, then I hand it back to him. "I tried it. Now, you take the rest."

He sighs, but he takes the cookie and eats it.

"See?" I murmur. "I told you I would take care of you."

He smiles up at me. "I love you, Nines."

"I-I love you, too." I throw his underwear at him, and he puts it on. I put on my own underwear, then I crawl into bed next to him.

"I just got a report from the station. Lieutenant Anderson might call me..."

I groan in frustration. "Well... it's pretty late. He might be asleep. Or drunk. In any case, I doubt he's awake."

"Hank has gotten a lot better in terms of alcohol abuse," Connor growls dangerously.

"Ok, ok.... sorry," I mutter, quickly making amends.

"Just... don't talk about him like that. I love you, but he's my partner. I care about him, too. I would be angry if anyone talked bad about you, so don't talk bad about him."

I put my arm around his shoulder. "I know, I know. I apologize."

He cuddles up against me. "It's ok. I love you too much to be mad at you."

I kiss the top of his head. I can feel my heart melt for him. If... that's even a thing. It feels like it's melting but in a good way. I sigh in content, feeling better than I ever have since my activation.


	6. Trap

I had dropped Connor off at his house later that day, then went back home to Gavin. A day later, and I'm sitting in the briefing room. Gavin paces back and forth as we wait for Hank and Connor. "Could he be any slower?!" Gavin snaps at no one. "We have shit to do!"

The door opens, and Hank walks in. Alone. I lean over to see if Connor might be behind him, but he's not. Connor's nowhere to be seen.

"Is Connor alright?" I ask.

Hank looks at me, and I can immediately tell he's distressed. "I... I wouldn't know. I don't know where he is."

I freeze in place. It feels like my whole world has been ripped out from below me. It feels like I'm falling.

"Nines?" Gavin gives me a sidelong glance. 

I stand up, knocking over my chair. "Do you have any idea where he might've went?"

Hank glares at me. "Of course, I don't. He came home after going out with you, and it was all well and good until I fell asleep and woke up to see that he's nowhere to be fucking found. So, you tell me, Nines. Do YOU have any idea where he might've went?"

"If I had an idea, I would've presented it already, Lieutenant."

"He just... disappeared without a trace..." Hank sits down before slamming his hand on the table. "Connor's been abducted. He's a victim. It makes complete sense now."

"What are you going on about?" Gavin scoffs.

"I was sleeping in the bedroom, and Connor was on the couch. One of my windows was broken. That's how they must've gotten inside. My living room is a mess. There's broken shit everywhere, showing signs of a struggle. My front door wasn't locked, either. Connor always locks the door when he leaves the house unless I'm awake. Not to mention the fact that they've been pretty much inviting us to investigate their houses. It makes sense. Every instance of contact we've had with them has involved Connor in one way or another. It... It makes sense."

"It does make sense, but Nines has been involved, too. What if they come for him?" Gavin narrows his eyes.

"Then, I guess we would know if they really took Connor or not. But, why would they want Connor? All the victims have been human children. To suddenly target an adult Android? It doesn't make sense. That's the only thing that doesn't click."

"What if they're trying to get rid of us?" I question, interjecting into the conversation. "What if they're just trying to clear obstacles?"

"There's a lot more than two Androids that are coming after them. Granted, if you two die or something, it'll slow us down a lot." He shrugs. "But, the investigation wouldn't stop."

"Then, Connor could very well be dead already." I stand there for a moment in silence before that statement actually hits me. And, it hits me hard. "No. No, no, no... What if he's dead?" I begin to tear up. "This isn't happening. This is a nightmare."

"It's gonna be alright, Nines," Gavin soothes. It does little to help me.

"N-No! Not if he's dead!" I panic. "Gavin, I can't lose him. Not now. Not when I've just... not when..." I curl my hands into fists as tears roll down my face. "If-If he's dead... I s-swear, if he's dead... I-I'll kill myself! I'll do it! I-I swear, I'll-I'll do it!"

"What, No! C'mon, Nines, you're being irrational!" Gavin snaps, but I can tell he's not angry. "Nines, you can't just die because he dies."

"F-Fuck off! Yes, I can!" 

"Nines, we're here to discuss the case and the evidence we've collected so far. We're not here to talk about Connor. If you're gonna sit here and have a mental breakdown, then go deal with it somewhere else," Gavin snarls.

I stand and leave without a word, shutting the door behind me. I walk towards the station entrance. "I have to find him. I have to find Connor," I whisper to myself. I get into my car and start it, then drive off to the first house we found. It has to be the tunnels. They have to have taken him down there.

A small part of me begs me not to go alone. A small part of me knows this is dangerously stupid. I ignore it. I can't lose Connor. Not now, after all we've been through, after everything we did. Visions of his body below mine flash before my eyes. My fingertips tingle. I want to feel him again. I want to kiss him again. "I have to find him first..."

I pull up and park on the side of the road, then I get out. I stare at the house apprehensively before approaching it. I shouldn't be doing this, but I am. I have to. I have to find Connor. I try the door to find that it's locked. It wasn't locked before. Someone's been here. I analyze the door to see a blue handprint. "Blue blood..." I whisper, reaching out to take a sample. It's Connor's blood. Less than a day old. It's fresh. I take a few steps back, then I charge the door, successfully busting it open on my first try.

I pull out my gun. No one seems to be here. It's quiet. Too quiet. I get the chills; I don't like it. On the ground are tiny drops of blue blood. I take care to follow the trail as best as I can. The trail ends at the trapdoor, where a puddle sits. "Please, be alive," I beg. I kneel down next to the trapdoor and pry it open carefully. Fear courses through me as I stare at the darkness below. Doing this alone is a lot creepier than doing it with Connor. Regardless, I steel my heart, take a deep breath, and descend the ladder.

I use my eyes to illuminate the way. The same four tunnels greet me with their gaping mouths. I swallow nervously. The trail leads into a different tunnel than the one we went in last time. For a second, the possibility that this is a trap flashes through my mind, but I push it away. I don't care if it's a trap. I have to find Connor. Slowly, I start walking, making sure to follow the trail as close as possible.

The farther I go, the more I begin to lose my cool. "Please... just be alive," I whisper. Tears prick my eyes again, threatening to fall. I let them fall. Crying is a good way to relieve stress, so I let myself cry. 

The tunnel separates into two parts, causing me to stop. Oddly enough, the trail leads into both tunnels. I kneel and take samples of both tunnel trails. One of them is older than the other. "Could they be trying to trick me?" I ask no one.

I decide to go down the one with the most recent trail. As I walk, paranoia begins to set in. "What if he's dead?" I whisper. "I'll never recover from this..." I fidget with a coin I have in my pocket. My LED flashes yellow. Connor always played with coins when he was stressed.

I'm so stuck in my head that I don't even notice the trail has stopped. I look around for it only to find nothing. "Fuck," I curse. I sigh and decide to just keep going down the tunnel. 

I walk a little farther, and the tunnel leads me to an empty cavern. It's almost unreal how big these tunnels are. It's almost... too unreal. I enter the cavern, and it seems like another tunnel, just bigger.

A shuffling sound makes me twist around, readying my gun to fire. "Who's there?" I demand. "I'm armed! I'm not afraid to shoot!" I stare into the darkness, desperately trying to make out shapes.

Someone's arms wrap around my neck. Out of instinct, I reach behind me, grab whoever it is, and flip them over my back, slamming them on the ground. "Don't move!" I order, pointing my gun at them.

"Ugh... What the fuck, Nines?"

I instantly recognize his voice. "Connor?!" I scramble over to him. "Wh-Why would you do that?! I could've killed you!"

He sits up. "Well, I wanted to scare you."

I don't say anything. Something about this doesn't feel... right. I stand and help Connor up. "Are you ok, sweetie?"

"Y-Yeah... I'm good..." I'm not. I'm not good. This is Connor, and, yet, this is nothing like Connor. 

He hugs me tightly, and I hug him back. "I almost feel sorry for you," he whispers. Before I can say anything, he stabs me and pushes me on the ground. He falls on top of me and stabs me again and again. "You're pathetic, Nines."

I watch him stand and step back. "Wh-Where's... Connor?" I rasp. "What did y-you do with him?"

"He's dead, but don't worry," he soothes, smiling. "You'll be joining him soon." I watch him turn and walk away. He keeps eye contact with me for a second before turning his head and disappearing into darkness.

I lay there for a while before taking my Android jacket off and using it to stanch the bleeding. I close my eyes, quickly sending a distress signal to the station. That's not enough. I send distress signals straight to Gavin, Hank, and a few other random officers. I don't care who it is. I need someone to help me. His smile haunts me...

"Connor..." I rasp. "Help... I need help..."


	7. No One Will Ever Hurt You Again

Gavin walks around the station, looking for Nines. He wants to apologize for snapping earlier, but he's nowhere to be seen. "Have you seen Nines?" he asks another officer.

The officer shakes his head.

"Anderson! Reed! Get your asses over here now!" Fowler yells from his office.

Gavin's heart sinks, and he hurries over to his office. Hank joins them shortly. "Your Android is sending distress signals to everyone. He seems to be underground. He's freaking the fuck out."

"Shit." Gavin runs from the room. Hank follows him. "Anderson! Come with me!"

"I am!" They get into Hank's car and speed away. "Goddammit, Nines..."

"He went to the fucking tunnels. He went to find Connor and probably got himself killed."

  
  


"Ugh... fuck..." I groan, pressing my shirt to my wounds. I feel weak. I feel pain. At this point, I'm shirtless on the ground, desperately trying to keep myself alive.

"Nines!"

"Thank you, Gavin," I whisper. "Fuck, thank you."

"Nines! What were you thinking?!" he panics, kneeling beside me. He takes a medipack out of his pocket and removes my hands.

"I-I wanted to find Connor..." I rasp. "I need to find Connor. I need him. I love him."

"You're lucky you're still fucking alive." He applies bandages and gauze to my stab wounds. "Who attacked you?"

I laugh airily. "Connor..."

He stops working. Hank looks over. "What...?"

"A... A different Connor. Not my Connor, but... a different Connor. He said my Connor was... dead."

"We have to get you out of here, Ni-"

"No!" I surge upwards, grabbing him. "No... please, I know he's alive. I know I can find him. Please, Gavin. Please, I'm begging you."

Gavin stares at me, then growls and looks away. "Fine." He helps me up.

I lead him down the cavern. After a while, I see a door in the wall. "There," I whisper. I try the door, and it's unlocked. I walk inside.

Connor turns and looks at me. "You," he snarls. He slowly approaches me. His eyes are harder than pieces of coal. He grabs me, forcing me close to him. "You really don't know when to fucking stop."

"M-Mmm!" 

I look over to see Connor. My Connor. He's... naked. Naked and bound by a rope.

"Shush, Connor. Let me deal with these three, then-"

He's cut off by my hand slapping him across the face. Gavin pulls him away and slams him against the wall.

"He's mine! Connor's mine!" he yells.

Gavin and Hank drag him away, leaving me alone with Connor. I run over to him, tripping over myself. "C-Connor, it's going to be ok. I promise, it's going to be ok." I tear off his gag, and he gasps aloud.

"Nines! Nines, please, get me out of here!" he cries. "Please... don't let him touch me again..."

"I won't. I promise, I won't." I carefully cut him free of his ropes and hold him. "Here," I whisper, wrapping him up in my bloody Android jacket. I can feel him shiver against me. My heart beats at an unhealthy rate, but I'm so, so happy to have him in my arms again. His body is bruised up almost everywhere. There are handprints on his ass, and that pisses me off.

"You're hurt..."

"I'm ok. I'll be alright, Connor. I'm more worried about you..." I pick him up bridal style and carry him out of the room.

"Nines... Nines, please."

"I'm taking you away from here, Connor. I promise, I am."

  
  


I sit down with Connor on my lap. He stares through the double-sided glass, shivering. Gavin and Hank sit in the interrogation room with the other Connor. "Nines..." He turns and grips me tightly.

"I've got you," I murmur reassuringly. "I promise, I've got you. I won't ever let anyone hurt you ever again."

"You don't know anything. You never will. We're beyond your control," alternate Connor says.

"Why did you take Connor?" Hank asks.

"I want him." He turns his face so he's staring right at my Connor. "I still do."

"I don't want to be here. I want to go home..." my Connor says. I hug him tighter.

"Are you involved in the kidnappings that have been happening recently?"

"Of course, I am."

"In what way?"

Alternate Connor says nothing.

"Nines, please! Take me home..." At the sound of Connor's distressed voice, I pick him up and leave the room. I take him out of the station, to my car, and drive him home. "Come inside with me. Stay with me."

"You already know I will. You don't have to ask." I follow him inside of Hank's house and shut the door behind us. He holds onto me as he takes my face and kisses me. I revel in his taste, yearning for more. He leads me away from the door and onto the couch, making me trip on everything.

"N-Nines!" he cries. Tears fall down his face in a steady stream. "Nines, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, he touched me, and I couldn't stop him! I wanted to, but I... I...."

"Hush, hush, it's ok, Connor," I soothe. I hold him carefully.

"Please, don't leave me! I'm sorry!"

"I'm not leaving," I murmur. "I promise, I'm not leaving you."

"He... He left marks all over me. Doesn't that make you hate me...? Aren't I bad?" he whines, shivering.

I stare at him for a while before taking his shirt off. His chest is bruised in places, and he tries to hide it. Gently, I remove his hands, allowing myself to see all of it. "Connor," I begin. He looks at me. "I could stare at your chest all day and still think it's the most beautiful thing in the world." I kiss his forehead. "This doesn't mean anything. The bruises will fade away. It doesn't make me hate you, or think any less of you."

"Nines... I made a mistake."

"How so?"

"Well... I... this is all my fault. I should've... I should've..." he trails away, sniffling.

"Connor, stop," I say firmly.

He blinks up at me.

"Stop beating yourself up. I'm still just as in love with you as I've always been, and that's not going to change." I bring him closer to me. "I know, you feel like it's all your fault, and you're a horrible person, and you think I hate you, and I can't blame you for thinking those things. But, please, understand that that's not true. You're an amazing person. I love you more than anything, and it's not your fault."

He nods slowly. His hands wrap around my arm and squeeze. I let him do whatever he needs to do to calm himself. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm certain, without a shadow of a doubt."

He sits still for a few moments before turning and burying his face in my chest. He shakes as he sobs, and I let him. His stress levels are high. He needs to relieve it some way. All I do is hold him and let him let it all out. 

"It's ok to cry," I whisper. "This doesn't make you weak, you got that?"

He nods.

"Take all the time you need to recover. I'll be patient. But, keep in mind that I'm incredibly happy to have found you. I'm very, very happy to be here with you."

He laughs lightly. "Haha... so am I, Nines. So am I."

I comb my hand through his hair. "Do you feel better?"

"Yes. I feel a lot better, Nines. Thank you."

"Don't thank me."

The front door opens, and Hank walks inside with Gavin behind him. "Figured you two would be here."

"That guy..." Gavin murmurs.

"What is going to happen to him?" I ask.

"Well... we can't get much out of him, but we can't release him, either. He's locked up. We're not sure what we're gonna do with him..." Hank replies. "Anyway, I'm glad you're alright, Connor." He hugs him.

Gavin nods. "Are your wounds healing up?" he asks me.

"Yes. They're healing perfectly fine," I reassure him.

He nods and leaves the house.

"Give him a minute. He's still processing everything," Hank sighs, sitting on the opposite side of the couch.

"I think we all need a minute to process, Lieutenant," I reply, stroking Connor's hair.

"Yeah... about that," he begins, leaning forward. "I want you both to take a break. Relax tomorrow. Gavin and I will be resting, too, but I especially want you guys to chill out before you overheat or something."

"Yes, Lieutenant. That sounds good to me."

Connor says nothing.

"You alright?" I whisper, breathing softly against his ear.

"Yes," he whispers back. "I just want to savor this moment... Just in case I can't ever have it again."

I hug him close and hold his head against my chest. Silently, I promise him he'll always have this moment.


	8. Fear Of Water

Connor sits on the couch, cross-legged. He looks detached from reality. His hands sit in his lap, knitted together. I watch him sit there, still as a stone, until I sigh and walk over to him.

"Connor?"

He looks up at me and smiles, but it's a sad smile.

"Do you want to go swimming?" I question him, smiling. 

"Swimming...?"

"Yeah! It's pretty hot outside. I figured we could do something on our day off."

"But, I don't know how to swim..."

"It's ok. I'll teach you."

"Well... ok!" He gets up and hugs me. "I'll go get my trunks on. Do you need to borrow a pair?"

"Yes..." I mutter, embarrassed. "I mean... I don't swim. I obviously don't have a pair." I follow him to Hank's room. "You... sleep in here?"

"No. This is where I keep my things, but I don't sleep in here. Hank doesn't like the fact that I don't need to sleep. He says it's creepy that I just... stare." He opens the bottom drawer of a dresser and fishes around for swim trunks. "Here they are." He throws a pair at me, then searches for his own pair. Once he finds it, he closes the drawer and stands. "Wait! What if people see my bruises?" he whimpers.

"Take your shirt off," I demand. He does as I say and stands there awkwardly. I reach out with both hands, grab him, and pull him over to me by the torso. "You see me?"

"Y-Yes..."

"No one is getting past me. I'll shield you."

He nods, then pulls my shirt off. I remain close to him as he undresses and slips on his swim trunks. When he finishes, I do the same.

"Your body is beautiful." I stroke his torso.

"Nines..." he whispers, resting his head on my bare chest. "Your body is better than mine."

"That doesn't make me love your body any less." I kiss the top of his head.

"Stop complimenting me, and let's go," he mutters grumpily, walking out of the room. I follow him. My LED flashes yellow, and I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I only seem to be making him angry.

"I don't understand, Connor. What am I doing wrong?" I get into my car. "I'm only trying to make you feel better."

"I'm still trying to work through what happened," he replies. "I apologize if I've been making you feel guilty. I didn't mean to."

"Of course, I feel guilty. I don't like seeing you hurt. But, it's alright. You did nothing wrong," I reassure him. 

"Ok," he smiles softly. "Can I... Can I ask where we're going?"

"Of course. We're going to the lake."

"Th-There'll be people there..."

"Well, of course. It is a public area."

"But-"

"Connor, I promise, I won't let anyone see your bruises. You trust me, right?"

His head snaps up to stare at me. "Of course, I trust you!" he insists indignantly.

"Then trust me to take care of you." I smile.

"Ok... Ok, I trust you."

"Good!" I pull into the parking lot and park. "Grab the towels."

He gets out, gets the towels, and follows me to the beach. "Nines?"

"Yes?"

"I'm scared..."

I take his hand in mine. "I'll protect you. I'll keep you safe. Is this a good spot?" I ask him. 

He looks down, then nods. "It's great." He drops the towels.

I drag him by the hand and lead him to the lake. "Ok, then, let's go!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" he whines in a panic before ripping his hand from mine. I turn around and stare at him. "I-I'm... I'm scared... of water," he whimpers as he backs away.

Instinctively, I walk towards him with my arms open in an attempt to hug him. It works as he falls into me, pressing his face against my chest. "You don't have to be afraid. I'm here. I won't let you get hurt."

"I've always been afraid of accumulating water. Like puddles, baths... lakes..." he explains, raising his face to look at me.

"Here, let's walk in together. We'll go slow," I promise, leading him down to the water. He nods fearfully.

He flinches as the water washes over his feet, then he laughs nervously. "It's... It's not so bad..."

"Of course, not. Come on, babe. A little further. You're doing good," I encourage him, holding both of his hands. "You can do this."

His stress levels rise the farther we go. His LED flashes yellow, then red, and he shies away. "I-I don't think I can..."

"No, no, c'mon, don't give up now. You're doing so good. You're up to your knees! Now, let's get you up to your waist." I gently pull him.

"Oh..." he moans, rushing forward and clinging onto me. "Hold me, Nines! P-Please, don't let me go."

The way he clings to me makes me blush. "Ok, Connor." I turn and lead him farther out, wrapping my arms around him. After a few steps out, we're up to our waists. "See? This isn't so bad," I murmur.

"Y-Yeah... this isn't so bad," he repeats, almost hyperventilating.

"Hey, hey, if it's too much, just tell me. I am not going to force you to keep going. Please, tell me if I'm pushing you too far. Please, communicate with me," I beg, looking into his scared eyes.

"No, I want to keep going. I want to," he insists sincerely.

"Ok. Let's keep going." I smile. I continue to lead him out into the lake. The water slowly climbs up his stomach until it reaches his chest.

"Ok, ok, this is as far as I'll go," he blurts out, panicking again.

"That's ok." I hold him close to me in an attempt to calm him. "How is it? Not as scary as you thought, huh? And, we're so deep, no one can see your bruises."

"It's still terrifying, but..." he smiles up at me. "It's slightly less terrifying with you." His stress levels slowly go down, but his LED is still red.

I blush softly. My heart clenches in my chest as I'm overcome with happiness. "Connor..." I whisper. Even saying his name makes a jolt of happiness run through me. "Connor..." I say it again just to feel that little jolt.

"C'mon, Nines... don't get all soft on me now," he whispers, but I can tell he's getting emotional.

I laugh and wipe at my eyes, pushing back tears. "I-I just... I just... it's just so nice seeing you happy, Connor," I begin. "I die a little inside when you're upset, but seeing you happy brings me back to life. Every time I see you smile, I'm reminded of how much I love you. You're so..." I narrow my eyes, searching for a word. "Precious. To me. You're so precious."

"I love you, too, Nines..." he struggles to say.

"No, no, you don't understand." I shake my head. "Ever since I met you, I've been... feeling weird. There was something about you that made me feel weird. I just didn't know that weird feeling was love. I absolutely fell for you since the moment you first spoke to me, and I never knew it until now. It was like falling, and I was scared. I could tell it wasn't a part of my program, and yet... I wanted it. It made me feel... special. Wanted. Like I had some purpose in this world. But... I could never let myself pursue that feeling. For weeks I've laid on Gavin's couch and wanted to just cry because I was scared and lost. I wanted to know who I was, but I couldn't. I wanted to love you, but I couldn't. I was bound by my programming. All I could do was sit back and suffer behind a wall that separated me from everyone and everything." I look into his eyes and hold his face in my hands. "But, then you came to me, and I learned to break free. You've saved me from myself, Connor. You held my hand and helped me walk for the first time. You're the reason I'm free," I smile, close to tears. "I've always wanted to thank you for that. Thank you for showing me that there's so much more to my programming. Thank you for helping me become free. Thank you... Thank you for sticking around." I swallow hard. "I-I wanted to get that out now, so in case... in case something happens, you know how grateful I am and how much I love you."

Connor says nothing. Instead, he stares at me. He looks like he's about to sob uncontrollably. "You..." His voice cracks. "You r-really know how to make me cry, don't you?"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" I hold him closer to me.

He breaks. "No... No, it's ok. These-These are g-good tears!" He laughs. "I didn't know you felt that w-way. I'm so-so glad that I could help you. I'm-I fall in love with you every day."

I don't say anything. I've said all I need to say. Instead, I hold him while he cries, nearly crying myself. "I will always be there to help you, Connor. I will always be there when you need me, I promise."

"And-And so will I! You can r-rely on me, too..."

"I do rely on you. I rely on you a lot more than you know."

He grabs my face with sudden urgency. "Nines, I seriously want to live the rest of my life with you. I-I want to have a future with you, and start a family with you, and-and..." he trails away. "I don't even care. We could be on the run, and I'd still love you. I'd still want to spend every second with you."

I lower my face and kiss him. He pushes our faces closer together, moaning. His moans tell me he wants more. So do I.

He pulls back and gasps. "Nines, I felt something on my ankle. Take me back to the shore!" he panics. "Please, please, please!"

I pick him up and walk toward shore. In a few moments, he's completely out of the water, held up by my arms. I let him go where the water rushes over his feet.

"L-Let's stay out of the water for now..." he murmurs.

"If you want to." I sit down in the sand, pulling his arm so he'll join me. He does. He sidles up next to me and presses his body against mine. I kiss his forehead.

"The sun is setting." He points into the distance. I nod as he rests his head on my shoulder. "It's pretty... I don't usually look at it, but it feels so appropriate."

"It does." I blink at the sunset, then I kiss the top of his head.

"You know, this was fun. I really had fun," Connor murmurs, placing his hand on my thigh.

I put my hand on his. "Why does the fun have to stop?" I cup his chin. "It doesn't have to stop. It never has to stop," I whisper, bringing his face closer to mine.

"I-I never want it to stop..." He presses his lips against mine, kissing me hard. He moans, pressing his body against mine. It's hard to get all of him at the same time. I want all of him, but it's hard to get. He pulls back and stares at me. "Relax, relax, you're kissing too hard. Gentle and soft," he whispers.

"Gentle and soft..." I breathe softly, pressing my lips against his again. I pull back slightly, brushing my lips softly against his. He starts shivering in pleasure, telling me to do more. I drag my hand along his chest, circling his core. His breath comes out of his nose in short bursts.

"Isn't that precious? Androids making out with Androids."

I pull away to see two humans staring at us. They're both male.

"Nines..?" Connor whispers, holding onto me and not turning back.

"Well? You gonna say something?"

"Why would I? What does it matter?" I snap, bristling.

"Let's walk away, Nines. Let's just walk away. Please, don't attack them.." Connor begs quietly.

"It has a mouth. That's cute," one of them laughs.

"Nines...!" he hisses.

I stand and help Connor up. He pushes me away, but I don't budge. I stand still, glaring at them. I'm pissed. I'm pissed that they're doing this. I'm pissed that they're making me upset like this. I can tell Connor's angry, too.

One of them, the blond one, walks closer to us. "C'mon, Android. Do something." He leans closer. "Hit me," he hisses.

"Nines. Don't. You. Dare. People already hate Androids enough, please don't add fuel to the fire."

I turn around and leave, making sure Connor's in front of me. I take his hand, glance back at them, then kiss it.

When we get back in the car, Connor sighs in relief. "Thank you for not attacking them..."

"I'm angry."

"I know, I know..." He trails away. "Hey, let's go home and finish what we started. No one can bother us there."

"Besides Hank."

"Hank already knows. He won't say anything."

I slam my fist on the middle console. "Dammit! I'm so pissed!"

"I had fun, Nines! It's ok!" 

I pull into Hank's driveway. "Yeah. Yeah, whatever..." I follow him as he gets out and goes inside. I sigh softly.

Connor takes my hand and leads me to the couch. "Ugh... get these wet, miserable clothes off of me," he murmurs, peeling off his swim trunks. I take off mine and sit on the couch. "Here." He pushes me down and lays down on me, throwing a blanket over us. "Are you comfortable?"

I smile softly. "Yes, I'm comfortable. I feel better." I stroke his hair.

"That's good..." he murmurs tiredly.

"Are you tired?"

"Well... I've been feeling sort of fatigued lately. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to rest a bit."

I place my hand on his head. "Go ahead and sleep."

"Ok," he breathes, smiling and adjusting himself.

Within minutes, he's asleep. Well, he's not really "asleep," he's just in sleep mode. I hug him tight to my chest and watch TV, waiting for him to wake up.


	9. Interrogation

I walk into the station with Connor by my side. We're a lot more refreshed thanks to our day off yesterday.

"Oh, there you two are," Hank greets as he meets us in the hallway. "We're interrogating the alternate Connor."

As soon as he says that, Connor grabs my arm in a tight grip. "You don't have to go," I soothe. "You can stay here."

"But, you're going. I have to go. I'm just... scared..."

I let him hold onto me as I follow Hank to the interrogation room. Inside, he sits with a pleasant expression in his face.

"Be careful..." Connor whimpers as I walk inside.

"Didn't think I'd see you here of all people," he begins.

I sit down without a word. "I'm going to be honest with you when I say I'm here to extract a confession and information. If you refuse to give me what I need, you'll go back in your cell until you're ready to talk. When, and if, you do end up speaking, there is no way out for you. You'll be properly charged and sentenced accordingly."

"Charges?"

"Abduction, false imprisonment, and abuse. That's all... for now." I sit back. "What do you think about that?"

"I think that's fair." He shrugs. "I did hurt Connor... a lot," he winks.

I purse my lips in an attempt to calm myself.  _ He wants a reaction out of you _ , I tell myself. "What else did you do?"

"That's grim that you wanna know so bad," he laughs. "But, I'll indulge you. I'm sure you know how fragile Connor's body is. He wouldn't obey, so I had to break a few things to make him sit still."

"Like?"

"Don't worry, I fixed him up. He's fine."

"Not what I asked, but ok. What else did you do?"

"I think you know the rest. Why did you think he was naked? Why did you think there were bruises on him? And, I know you saw the pretty, little handprints I left on his ass. I hope you liked that. He sure did." He winks.

I raise my eyebrow. "I highly doubt he enjoyed any of it, but whatever." I lean forward. "Did you rape him?"

"Sure did."

"Well, that's another charge..." I mutter.

"You're awfully calm. I thought I'd be on the floor right about now."

I look him in the eye. "I can assure you, I know what you did to him. I just wanted to hear it from you. And, there are people watching us. It wouldn't be very professional if I beat you, wouldn't it?"

He shakes his head. "I suppose, it wouldn't be."

"Enough of this." I point to a picture of the first girl reported missing. The one that blew up. "Tara O'Neil was the first girl to be reported missing. Do you know anything about her?"

"Well, I know her name is Tara O'Neil. I know she's a girl. I know she's a human." He points to the picture. "I know that's what she looks like."

"This is basic shit. Don't play dumb with me. What do you know about her capture?"

He sighs. "I know... nothing." He winks. He winks a lot. I’m starting to get suspicious...

"Are you wired?" I ask, going off of a hunch I have.

"Of course, not." He winks again, still wearing that pleasant smile.

I stand and motion for him to be quiet before taking out a gun. Carefully, I uncuff him, but force the gun to his head. "Don't move, or I'll shoot," I mouth.

He nods, showing fear for the first time.

I step over to him and carefully begin to undress him. He squirms and tries to push me away, but he doesn't try hard. I hear it when I get his pants off: a quiet beeping sound. I throw it in the corner as it detonates, leaving a decent sized hole in the wall. It surely would've killed him if he would've been wearing the clothes. He stands in his underwear, shaking.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit..." he mutters. "Fuck."

"Sit back down," I order, and he does as I say. He cuffs himself back to the table and sits there, staring ahead.

"What's going on? Your stress levels are rising. You look... scared," I observe.

His eyes glance over me fleetingly. "N-No. I'm not scared. I assure you, I'm not scared." He tries to bring that pleasant smile back to his face, but he can't, and he gives up.

"So, you're not the leader. You're nowhere close to being the leader. You're a pawn, aren't you?" I question, putting imaginary pieces together in my mind.

He says nothing.

"I'm right, aren't I? They made you resemble Connor in almost every way, then used you with the intention to kill you once they were done with you, didn't they?"

He still doesn't say a thing.

I sit back. "Don't be afraid. You're safe now."

His head snaps up in one sudden, jerking movement. "I-I-I... Please, stop..." he begs. "P-Put me back in my cell. Please."

"I'm right," I murmur. "Here," I grab his hand and pull his arm towards me. "Let me probe your memory. That way, I'll know all I need to know, and you have to say nothing."

"Why are you being so... nice? After everything I did...?"

"Because, I have a hunch. If I'm right, that means you're innocent." I slip my hand up his arm and remove the skin, gently probing through his memory.

Memories flash before my eyes. Someone looming over him, telling him something, then slapping him across the face; someone touching him, forcing him to take them; someone forcing him to sleep in subzero temperatures while naked; it goes on and on. I watch as it fast forwards, showing me memory after memory of him being used and abused, time and time again. He's a pawn...

Until Connor shows up, and it changes. Confusion clouds my mind as I watch through alternate Connor's eyes. That someone looms over Connor, too. He suffers the same fate. They both do. Alternate Connor's forced to watch that someone have their way with my Connor. For a second, I can feel what he feels, and he's terrified. He feels... bad that he can't do anything, but terrified that if he speaks up, he'll get hurt, too.

I push away the abuse and search for the abduction victims. The more I search, the more I find memory after memory of him being mistreated in every way possible. I'm unable to find anything, so I stop searching. I release Connor's arm. It was never alternate Connor. It was whoever that man was.

My hunch is right.

"Stand. Let me see your back," I demand. He does as I ask, but looks terrified. I stand, stepping over to him and looking at his back. It's marked with various scars. I trace my finger over one of them, causing him to freeze up. "Who was that? Who hurt you?"

His eyes widen, and his mouth opens, but he says nothing.

"Connor-"

"D-Don't!" he shouts. "Please! Please, don't call me that! I-I hate that name!"

"Then, what should I call you?"

He hesitates for a moment before uttering a few words. "Well... I've always liked the name 'Caleb'."

"Ok," I nod, walking around him to face him. "Caleb, let me help you. It wasn't your fault. It was his fault. But, I need to know who he is. Please, tell me so I can help you."

"He hurt me everyday... I was forced to stand and stare at him as he slept, knowing that when he woke up, he'd start throwing things at me and laugh as I desperately avoid getting hit. From the moment he wakes up, to the moment he falls asleep, he uses me. He used to scream that I was nothing, that I was useless. He'd threaten to kill me, then laugh as he watched me plead for my life. He told me he only made me so I could serve him. He said I was made in Connor's image. He would always talk about how Connor is so much better, and I'm nothing. He would keep track of the days on my back. When I didn't do what he said, he would cut me all over on my back so I would be in constant pain every time I moved. I'm just his little toy. It doesn't matter what you do. He'll find me before you find him, and he'll kill me." He looks up at me with fear in his eyes. "I'm going to die, and Androids don't go to heaven."

I purse my lips, conflicted with everything he tells me. I hesitate before continuing to question him. "I'm sorry that happened, I really am, but I need to know his name. If I just know his name, I can stop him from hurting you."

Caleb hesitates before taking my hand and squeezing it. I let him do it. He probably needs something to hold onto anyway. "He... We all called him... Hyperion," he whispers as if he wants no one but me to hear. "No one knows his real name."

"Damn..." 

"Please, kill me. Kill me before he gets me. He'll make me suffer for this. He'll torture me. He'll hurt me. I-I can't take that. I can't. Please! You have to kill me now!"

"Relax! Relax..." I murmur. "I promise, nothing will happen to you. You will be safe," I soothe.

He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't look convinced, either. I have all I came to get, so I turn in an attempt to exit the room. "W-Wait! Don't leave me!"

I turn around. "I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving," I repeat. "I'm just getting you a change of clothes. Non-wired, non-explosive clothes. Would you like me to send someone in here with you?"

He nods. "Can-Can you send Connor in here? I... I want to apologize for all this."

I nod and walk towards the exit.

"Oh, and I lied! I didn't leave handprints on him! I didn't break anything! I promise, I didn't touch him! It was all a front! He-He would've killed me if I didn't..."

"I know," I throw over my shoulder. "I want to have a word with Connor, but I'll send him in here as soon as I'm done." I leave the room and approach Connor.

He stands motionless.

I grab his wrist, and he freaks out. "N-No!" he screams, pulling away. He breathes heavily, shaking uncontrollably.

I put my hands out. "Relax, Connor. It's just me."

He runs forward and hugs me. "I'm sorry. I knew he did nothing, and I never told you. I just... I got a flashback when you held my wrist. He-He used to hold me by the wrists..."

This time, I grab his arm and probe his memory to see that he's right. Everything matches, and the story comes together. I hold him in my arms. "Why?" I whisper against his ear.

"I-I was scared... I was scared that he'd find me if I said anything. I was scared he would hurt you, too."

I go silent. "Go talk to him," I murmur. "I'll get him some clothes." Quickly, I leave the room. The atmosphere crushes me, and I run. I start running, and I don't look back. I stand outside in the cool, night air. "I have to find him. I have to find Hyperion," I whisper. I sigh, reflecting on how stupidly wrong I was. I thought Caleb was the one behind it all. Now that I think about it, he wouldn't have been so easy to capture if he was. "I'm so stupid..."


	10. Breakdown

I follow Gavin into another house reported to have connections to the kidnappings. "You recognize this place?" he asks Caleb.

Caleb shakes his head. We brought him here to see if he recognized or could tell us anything.

Gavin, Hank, Connor, Caleb, and I enter the house. I stay back, choosing to watch everyone as they walk around. I know something bad will happen. I know it. I'm waiting to see what it is.

"Are you ok?" Connor asks.

I look down at him, shake my head, then look away. He doesn't say anything else and walks away. I watch him leave before turning my head to stare at Caleb. He looks around curiously, then walks up to a closed door.

I watch as he opens it and immediately gets shot. I blink a few times to make sure it's real, and it is. It is real. He lays on the ground as blue blood puddles under him. Hank and Gavin open fire on the attackers, disappearing into the room. Connor kneels next to Caleb. He turns to me and says something, but I don't hear it. I back away and shake my head before running. I run to my car and drive away, breathing heavily. "He's dead..." I whisper. "Oh, god, he's dead. I'm a coward."

Without knowing anywhere else to go, I go to Gavin's house. When I pull into the driveway, I stay in the car. I shake as I begin to cry. Slowly, I get out and stumble my way inside. "I'm such a fucking screwup."

My phone goes off as Gavin calls me. I ignore it. "I'm a horrible cop! I can't even protect my people! I can't do anything right..." I sit down on his couch and bury my face in my hands. "I've been screwing up this whole case. I couldn't save Connor. I couldn't even protect him, and now someone died because of me." I reach into my back pocket and pull out my gun. I stare at it for a few minutes before checking to see if it's loaded. It is. "If I shoot myself, I will surely die," I whisper.

My phone goes off again. This time, I pick it up and answer it.

"Nines? Where the hell are you?"

"I'm at home, Detective," I tell him, staring at the gun.

"Why did you run?"

"No reason. Just know that I'm not leaving this house for the rest of today." And, maybe not ever. Maybe, I'll never leave this house.

"That's bullshit, and you know it. Why did you run?"

I hang up on him and turn my phone all the way off. "I'm sorry, Detective. I'm faulty. I'm only slowing everyone down and bringing bad luck." I slowly bring the gun to my head. Time seems to slow down as I hold it there. "Do it," I whisper. "It'll be better this way."

Ultimately, I can't. "I'm such a fucking pussy," I snarl. "I can kill whoever I want, but I can't even kill myself!" I pick up a nearby glass and throw it at the wall, shattering it instantly.

I stand and make my way to the fridge. I look around before I pull out a can of Gavin's beer. "Hehehe," I laugh maniacally. "I'll do what Hank does and drink myself to death." I open it and stare at it before taking a sip. "Androids can't even get drunk, can they?" I shrug. "Whatever. If I don't fall over and die from being drunk, then the alcohol intake will definitely kill me."

I stop and blink a few times, feeling guilty. "Connor's going to hate me. Everyone will." I shake my head. "That just gives me another reason to die." I take a swig of the beer and sit back down on his couch.

  
  


Gavin walks in the front door. "Nines?" he asks. He steps inside before noticing empty beer cans littered around the floor. "Jesus Christ! Nines!" he walks back to the bedroom.

The lights are turned off, but Nines is there, scrolling around on his phone. "Nines, you better have a damn good explanation for this."

Nines says nothing.

He approaches slowly. "Nines! Hello? Can you hear me?"

He still remains silent.

Gavin turns on the light and walks over to the bed he lays in. "Nines, are you-" He cuts himself off as he sees the gun. "What are you doing with that?"

Nines slowly rolls over so he's staring up at Gavin. He looks like he hasn't slept in days. He looks horrible. "I want to die, Detective," he mumbles in a broken, monotone voice.

"Ok, no, we're not doing this. C'mon." He pulls Nines into a sitting position. He kneels down so he's eye level with him. "Hey, look at me." He places his hands on both sides of Nines' head and forces him to look at him. "Did you drink all those cans out there?"

Nines nods.

"Dammit, Nines. Did you do anything else? You didn't swallow any pills or anything, did you? Did you cut yourself?" He stands and pulls Nines' clothes off, checking for any marks.

Nines shies away. "Leave me alone, Detective. Let me suffer. I'm already useless, so there's no point."

"I'm only doing this because I care, you fucking piece of plastic!" he snaps.

Nines blinks slowly.

"Look, I'm not trying to be mean, but you have to see that you shouldn't be getting drunk by yourself. Now, answer my question: did you take anything?"

He shakes his head.

"Are you sure?"

He nods.

"Ok, ok, good. I don't wanna have to take you to the hospital, but I will if I have to."

Nines starts crying. "I'm sorry," he rasps. "I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid. I'll never do this again, I promise. Please, don't hate me," he begs.

"Whoa, whoa, it's ok!" Gavin takes his hands, smiling. "I don't hate you. You just need a lot more help than I thought you did. But, I promise, I don't hate you."

"I'm useless...!" he whines. "Everyone dies or gets hurt because of me. I'm the most useless Android to ever be manufactured. All I ever do is sit around and watch people get hurt."

"My dad once told me, he said, 'Gavin, you can't save everyone. You can try, but you just can't do it. So don't try. Don't try to save everyone. Try to save those that you can, and it'll get you a lot farther than trying to save everyone.' He also told me that 'once you start blaming yourself for people's deaths, there's no going back.' So, I didn't. I didn't blame myself for nobody's death, cause I can't save everyone." He smiles. "But, I can save you."

"You can't save me. I'm too far gone."

"Yes, I can." He stands again and wraps his arms around Nines' back. "Wrap your legs around me." Nines does as he asks, and Gavin picks him up. "We're gonna get you feeling better, I promise," he grunts. "We just gotta get you out of this room." He exits the room and drops Nines on the couch, once again kneeling so he's eye level. "Tell me what hurts."

"My imaginary heart that I don't have," Nines murmurs.

"C'mon, I know you're hurting, but I can't fix that. That takes time to heal. Tell me what I can make better."

"My head hurts. And, I fell when I was going into the room. I think I accidentally cut my ankle when I did that," he admits. "It stings."

Gavin sighs. "I'll go get you some fresh clothes, then I'll have a look at that ankle." He stands and leaves, coming back a few minutes later with a pile of clothes. He sets them on the coffee table, then helps Nines pull the shirt on. He holds Nines as he stands and pulls on the shorts, then gently pushes him back down. He sits down on the floor and examines Nines' ankle. "I'll apply a patch, and that should let it heal undisturbed." Gavin grabs a patch and a rag from the hall closet, then returns to his place on the floor. Nines hisses as he cleans the wound with the rag, then presses the patch to it. "There. You should be good."

"Why are you doing this? You could just send me in and get a new Android."

"Cause, I don't wanna new Android. I want you, ya tin can," Gavin murmurs.

"I-I want you, too. I wouldn't want any other Detective in the whole world to be my partner," he stutters. "I don't deserve you..."

"No one really deserves anyone. What people do and do not deserve is opinionated." Gavin takes his hands. "Tell me what else you want."

"I want Connor," he whispers, tears forming in his eyes. "I-I want him to hold me, Gavin. I'm scared."

"Ok, ok. I'll call Hank, but I can't help it if he's asleep, alright?"

He nods.

Gavin calls Hank and waits for him to answer. Eventually, he does. "Gavin? Please, don't tell me Nines is dead or something. Connor'll be gutted."

"No, no, he's fine. I mean, he's blackout drunk, but he's fine. I'm here with him."

"Are you drunk, too?" he asks.

"What? No. Of course, not." He looks behind him to see Nines staring at the floor. He lowers his voice. "But, he wants Connor here. He wants Connor to hold him. If I'm being honest, I... I want you, too. I want you here, Hank," he whispers.

Hank sighs. "Ok... Alright, I'll be over there in a minute. Hold on a little while longer, baby," Hank murmurs.

"O-Ok... I'll try. Hurry, though. He's suicidal. I managed to keep him alive, but I don't think I can stop him if he decides to start shooting."

"I'm already out the door," Hank reassures.

"Ok. I'll wait for you." Gavin hangs up. "Connor'll be here in a minute, ok? You alright?"

Nines nods.

"I guess, that's the best response I'll be getting from you..." Gavin sits down next to him and waits.

After a while, someone knocks on the door. "Come in!" Gavin shouts. The door opens, and Connor walks in, followed by Hank.

"Nines..." he murmurs, rushing over to him. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting..."

He shakes his head. "That's not what I meant." He turns to Gavin. "He needs rest. Is there an extra bed or...?"

"You guys can sleep in my bed. Hank and I will crash out here," he suggests, pointing to his bedroom. Connor helps him up and brings him to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

"It's good to get time alone with you," Hank murmurs, twirling his finger in a strand of my hair.

"That's true," Gavin remarks, kissing Hank's jawline. "I hope he'll be ok."

"He will. He most certainly will." Hank kisses Gavin's head. "Are you ok?"

"A little, yeah. I'm a little disconcerted that I found him like this, but I think I'll be ok."

Hank's arms wrap tighter around Gavin. "I think you'll be ok." He slips his hand up Gavin's shirt and plays with his nipple.

Gavin blushes and moans. "Hank, please don't tease me..."

Hank laughs and takes off his shirt. "Relax, Gav. I wanna make you feel good, ok?"

"Ok, Hank," he murmurs nervously, taking off the rest of his clothes. He kisses Hank softly, letting his hands explore his body.

"Be quiet, Gav. I don't want them to hear us."

Gavin nods, and pulls Hank's pants off. Gently, he licks his tip, then takes the whole thing.

Hank throws a blanket over Gavin as Connor walks out of the room. "Oh, good evening, Lieutenant. I came to check up on you and Detective Reed. Where is he?"

"He's in the bathroom. He's alright," Hank says smoothly, not missing a beat. "How about you and Nines?"

"Nines is asleep. I just wanted to make sure you two were ok before I went and joined him. I see that all is good, so I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight, Lieutenant."

"Night, Connor."

He turns and disappears back into the room, and Gavin pops out from under the blanket. "That was close," he murmurs. He leans over Hank to grab the TV remote, then turns it on. "Background noise," he smiles.

Hank pulls him onto his lap, rubbing his tip against his entrance. "Are you ready?" he asks.

"Yes, but let's make this quick, ok? I'm... nervous. I've never done this before."

"It's ok, Gav," he says, pushing himself inside.

Gavin hisses in pain, arching his back. "Fuck...!" he squeaks. "Ugh... fuck... that's a tight squeeze, isn't it?"

Hank chuckles softly. "Sure is." He grabs Gavin's hips and lifts him up before letting him slide back down. Gavin's face is contorted in a grimace the whole time. "We can stop if it's too much," Hank says.

Gavin looks down at him. "It-It's... I don't think I can do this..."

"Ok, here." Hank lifts Gavin up off of him and set him back down.

He sighs in relief. "That feels better..." He lays down on top of Hank. "I'm sorry, Hank."

"It's fine, Gavin. I'm not gonna force you to do anything you don't want to do."

Gavin says nothing. He closes his eyes and sighs, quickly falling asleep with Hank's fingers in his hair.


	11. The Mall

I open my eyes slowly, not feeling as bad as I thought I would. Connor is next to me, still sleeping. I gently prod him to wake him up, and he stirs groggily. 

"Good morning, love," he murmurs tiredly.

A smile comes to my face. "Morning, Con." I sit up and stretch, reaching as high as I can. When I let my body relax, he grabs my arm and uses it to drag himself up.

"How do you feel?" He smiles, messing with my hair. 

I smile at him. "Well... I guess, I feel sort of sick. I feel sort of lightheaded."

"That's called a hangover, Nines. Be glad it wasn't worse."

"Yeah... do we have work today?"

"No. It's our day off."

"Oh... well, if you decide to go anywhere, you should just leave me here," I mutter, looking away.

"Why would I ever do that?" He frowns defensively.

"Because, bad things always happen when I'm around. Is it really worth it? Do you even like me?" I look back at him.

"If you ever start doubting my love for you, I will slap the sense back into you. Now, stop. You know damn well that bad things don't always happen when you're around. Bad things just always happen, no matter where, or who, you are."

I reach out to grab him and pull him in for a hug. "I feel so useless," I whisper.

He hugs me back, pressing himself against me. "You're not useless at all. I promise, you're not useless. I need you."

I stay silent.

He pulls away and kisses me softly. "I love you," he whispers.

I push him down on the bed, suddenly aggressive. "I fucking love you, too, Connor," I growl. "I want you. Please, I want you."

"Then, take me. I'm all yours, Nines," he whimpers, smiling.

I pull his shirt off vigorously, then fall down on top of him. Slowly, I rub my hands on his chest, gently licking the rim of his Thirium pump.

"Wh-What are you gonna do to me?" he whimpers in a shaky voice.

I look up at him and stare him in the eye. "Bad things always happen when I'm around," I whisper. He shivers at my seductive tone, and I can tell he's excited. I reach up and snatch his chin, forcing him to stare at me. "Tell me who owns you."

He twitches violently. "Y-You own me!" he whines. "Please... don't tease me."

I strip him of whatever clothes he has left, then strip myself. "I'm gonna fuck you so hard," I snarl aggressively.

"Don't hurt me..." he whines.

"Shhh, I'll take care of you," I whisper. I get off the bed and pull him with me.

"W-Will Detective Reed get angry for this? It is his bed..."

"He doesn't have to know," I mumble. "Now, turn around and bend over." He does as I say, pushing his ass up against me. He's too short and doesn't reach me comfortably. I lift him up a little, but I can tell I'll easily get tired having to hold him the whole time. "Here," I murmur, pushing him up onto the bed. "Fold your legs up under you, but lay flat," I direct him, moving him to where I want him to be. "Perfect."

"Mmh..." Connor shivers softly. "Be careful with me... Nines," he breathes.

My boner rages. I start to blush and sweat a little. "Fuck..." I whisper. "Are you ready?"

He twists back and stares at me. "I've never been more ready for anything in my entire life."

I smile as I put it in, watching him squirm below me. "Stay still," I whisper, leaning down. 

"You're... too big for me..."

"No, I'm not. You've taken me once, you can do it again." I start moving inside of him, making sure to push myself all the way in before going back out.

"Nines... I-I really don't know wh-what you're doing... but, p-please, don't stop. I l-love it," he moans.

I reach around him and grab onto his member, slowly jerking him off. "You're hard," I murmur.

"I-I can't h-help it... I get hard from being filled up by you..." His hands grip the bedsheets, pulling them as I speed up. I continue to stroke him, watching as he slowly falls apart. His moans intensify the faster I go. 

"I am going to push you off the edge this time, Connor," I whisper, reaching around with my other hand and pressing down on his Thirium pump to take it out.

"N-No!" he protests feebly. "I think I'll scream if you do that, too..."

I say nothing. Instead, I lick his neck and put one of my fingers inside. He gasps violently and twitches around. "Shhh..." I whisper. "You can take it."

"I-I can't...!" he whimpers. 

"Yes, you can," I murmur calmly. "Just breathe."

Judging by the way he gasps and sucks for air, he's trying to breathe. I speed up. He yells out. Whether in pain or pleasure, I don't know. "Nines, I can't take anymore of this. Y-You're gonna break me!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" I whisper. His eyes widen, and he releases in my hand. "Good boy," I smirk. I let him go as I release, removing my fingers. I wipe off my fingers with a nearby towel and get dressed. "I'll leave you to collect yourself." I smile back at him before turning and leaving the room. 

When I open the door, Gavin and Hank are sitting on the couch. Gavin smirks at me. "Had fun, didn't you?"

I smile. "Of course."

"Where's Connor?" Hank questions.

"He's cleaning himself up. Composing himself. He'll be out in a minute I'm sure." I wink.

"How do you feel?" Gavin asks gently.

"Well, I wasn't feeling too hot when I first woke up, but I feel better. I feel a lot better."

He smiles. "That's good. Look, Hank and I were thinking about taking you guys shopping today."

I blink a few times in confusion. "Why?" 

"To buy you guys clothes. You wear the same things every day."

"Androids don't need to change clothes. We don't sweat nearly as much or as often as humans. There's not really a need to buy new clothes for us."

"Gee, thanks, Nines," Gavin mumbles sarcastically. He stands and approaches me, then points to my Android jacket. "You don't need this anymore. Do you really want to be labeled an Android forever?"

"Well, I think it's important for people to know that I'm an Android. It would be deceptive if I pretended I was human, when I'm not. I'm alive, but I'm not human."

"He's right," Connor begins, coming up behind me. He leans on my back.

"Well... I guess that makes sense, but we're still going shopping whether you like it or not."

I shrug. "If you insist, Detective."

"Great, let's go." Gavin stands and walks to the door. Connor holds my hand as we leave and pile into Hank's car.

"Where are we going, Detective?" Connor asks.

"The mall. Where else would we go?" 

"Just curious, is all."

I take a coin out of my pocket and start playing with it.

Connor leans into me and kisses my cheek before laying his head on my shoulder. "You got that from me, didn't you?" he asks.

I nod. "Who else would I have got it from?"

He smiles. "I just wanted to make sure." He leans on me for the rest of the car ride to the mall. When we get there, we all get out.

"I haven't been here in a while," Hank comments, looking around.

"Neither have I," Gavin replies, stepping over and taking Hank's hand. He smiles down at him, and they start walking. 

"This is exciting," Connor begins, brushing up against me.

I nod but say nothing. A part of me doesn't want to be here, but I'll suck it up and try to enjoy it.


	12. Shutdown

Connor sits on my lap as we review the case. "I don't understand. It's like we know everything we need to know, but we're doing nothing about it."

"Well, worry no longer, Nines," Gavin begins as he walks into the room. "We're flushing out the tunnels today."

My heart sinks. "O-Ok..." Dammit.

"You don't have to go."

"Are you kidding me? Of course, I have to go! I've spent way too long stressing over this case to not see it through!"

"Ok, ok..."

"I'm going..." I nudge Connor, and he hops off of me. Together, we follow Gavin to a police cruiser. "We never should've gone to the mall yesterday!" I snap, complaining to them. "We should've been preparing or something! It was just a waste of time!"

Gavin turns back to me with a grim look on his face. "We wanted you guys to enjoy one last day with each other. We wanted you guys to have one last experience before we did this."

I stare at him, fearing more and more for the journey ahead.

"We didn't want you guys to stress about this in your last days. You very well might die down there."

I don't say anything. Instead, I slowly sit back in my seat, quietly waiting to arrive. Connor holds my hand tightly. I squeeze it.

When we arrive, I don't feel good. I'm scared. I've never been so scared in my life. I'm forced to walk to the tunnels and file down the ladder, one-by-one. This time, I have an entire team of SWAT with me. It does little to ease my fear. They push me along down a tunnel. Hank, Connor, and Gavin are with me, so maybe I'll die with them. The thought of dying hurts too much to handle, so I force myself to think of the good things that'll happen when I die. Hopefully, this case will be solved. Hopefully, Connor will be alright. Hopefully, Gavin will find a new partner, one better than me. I never deserved him.

That thought makes me almost ready to die. 

"Quiet," someone whispers. I obey them and stay as quiet as I possibly can. A loud bang sounds as a grenade explodes, and I duck down out of sight. Gunshots ring out as two evils collide. I panic as I realize I can't see Connor, Gavin, or Hank anywhere. I'm alone...

I pull out my pistol and take aim. Why they didn't give me a bigger gun, I don't know. I fire at anyone not wearing a SWAT uniform, and manage to take someone down. 

I grunt in pain as a stray bullet hits me, and I kneel down again. "Fuck!" I curse. I quickly regain myself and stand up, shooting everyone I don't recognize. I mow through the crowd, stepping forward with each shot.

Another stray bullet hits me, then another, and I crumple back to the ground. "Nines!" someone screams. I don't know who it is. Within seconds, Connor's face is in front of mine. The first thing I notice is his bullet wound.

"You're hurt," I rasp.

"I'm fine. You look more messed up than me." He helps me up. "Let's finish this, ok?" he gasps, helping me walk. Together, we shoot everyone we don't recognize. 

"We're not gonna die," I promise him.

"Of course, not. We can never die. We're Androids."

I decide to not talk, knowing it won't help. Instead, I focus on shooting. We've managed to push the crowd to the back of the chamber. A sudden explosion rocks the cavern, making me stumble. "Wh-What was that?" I cry.

"They must've set off explosives in one of the other chambers," Connor explains.

"What?! Why?! We're underground! Why would you set off explosives underground?!" I yell, panicking. My LED blinks red, and my stress levels are as high as they've ever been. The cavern rocks as another explosion goes off.

"They said we were flushing these bastards out! Don't worry, we'll be safe. From the explosives at least." As he says that, he gets hit by a stray bullet.

Instinctively, I move so I'm in front of him, covering him from any more stray bullets. It works, and another one hits me. I don't take the hit. At all. I crumple again, clutching my Thirium pump, hoping it hasn't been damaged. That thing is my heart. It's literally the thing keeping me alive. And, it's been hit. My vision glitches out, objects become distorted, and it's impossible to make out anything as precious Thirium spills from my body.

I grip Connor as hard as I can, hoping I can convey to him that I love him through touch. I don't think I can speak it if I tried. I can feel his arms wrap around me as I'm manhandled. I'm moving, but I don't know where I'm going until I feel myself being propped up against something.

_Shutdown in: 00:01:36_

_Shit_ , I curse to myself. I reach out and grab whatever I can, willing myself to speak. Nothing comes out. I begin panicking, not knowing what to do. I'm dying. I'm actually dying. I grab whatever's in front of me, hoping it's Connor.

_Shutdown in: 00:00:58_

Hoping it's Connor, I reach around for his face. When I find it, I bring it close. I press my lips against his in one last attempt at a kiss. It's half-assed, but it works, and I let go.

At this point, all I can hear is a sharp ringing noise, and my vision is blurred to hell. Luckily, I can still feel. And that's what I do. I feel Connor's hands all over me, poking, prodding, pushing me about, desperately trying to keep me alive. I can tell he knows I'm dying.

_Shutdown in: 00:00:21_

Holy shit, this is actually it. I'm actually dying. It seems so surreal. It's almost as if it's a bad dream. Yeah, it's just a bad dream. That's all. I'll wake up in the morning, and kiss Connor, and hold him, and tell him all about the dream I had where I died, but... deep inside, I know I'll never wake up ever again.

_Shutdown in: 00:00:14_

I can feel him holding my hand. I don't move. I don't even think I could move if I tried.

_Shutdown in: 00:00:08_

I try my best to smile at him.

We don't die. We're Androids.

_Shutdown in: 00:00:04_

I close my eyes.

_Yes, we do die, Connor..._

_Shutdown in: 00:00:00_

  
  


Connor sits in disbelief as he watches Nines shutdown. "No..." he whispers. "Nines... Nines, please. Please, don't leave."

Before Connor can say anything else, he's thrown forward and smashes his head against the hard wall of the cavern. Immediately, he's rendered unconscious.

  
  


. . . . 

  
  


Gavin stands on his balcony, nursing his broken hand. He stares out at the horizon, watching the sun set.

Hank opens the screen door and joins him. "How's your hand?" he begins.

Gavin turns on him. "Fuck my hand, Hank! How's Nines?! How's Connor?! Oh, I forgot, they're fucking dead!" he yells, beginning to cry.

"I just got word from Kamski. Connor's alive. He was never dead. He was just knocked unconscious."

"Fucking superb, Hank!" he snaps. "Your fuckin partner is alive and well, but what about mine?! Huh?! What about Nines?!"

Hank says nothing.

"That's what I fucking thought. He's dead. He's never coming back." Gavin sits down on the balcony, burying his face in his hands. "Fuck... why did I let him die?"

"Please... don't start blaming yourself, ok? It's not your fault.... And-And, we got Hyperion! We solved the case and broke the human-trafficking ring. We did it."

"What does it matter?! Nines... is never... c-coming back...!" he gasps, sobbing. He holds Hank's shirt and buries his face in his chest, shaking as he sobs.

"I promise, It will be ok..."

"I-I almost don't wanna be alive anymore. I just d-don't think I can wake up every day knowing I'll never s-see him again."

"Don't talk like that!" Hank snaps, making Gavin look at him. "D-Don't talk like that..."

Gavin moves past him and walks inside. Hank follows. Out of nowhere, Hank's phone goes off. He heads over to it, snatching it up when he sees who is from. "It's from Kamski!" He answers the phone and puts it on speaker so Gavin can hear. "Hello?"

"Hank, I have good news!"

"Ok? Spit it out."

"Well, for starters, I managed to get Connor back online. He's alive and well, but he's sleeping. He has a bit of head trauma, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with a bit of therapy."

Hank sighs in relief. "That's good to know, Kamski." He glances over at Gavin, watching as he turns and walks away. "D-Do you have anything for Nines?"

Gavin stops, listening, waiting.

"I was just about to get to that. I can repair Nines. He can be brought back to life, but... it'll take a bit of time to repair his body. But, that's the good news."

"What's the bad news?" Gavin cuts in.

"The bad news is that I'll have to reset him. He'll be like a newly made Android. He'll have no memory of anything, but he'll be alive. It's your choice whether I continue with this operation or not, Gavin. If having him alive but not able to remember you is too painful, then I won't fix him."

"No. Do it. Fix him... please..."

"Are you sure?"

"Kamski, I literally don't care. I can remake memories with him. I can rebuild our relationship. I just want him back."

Kamski goes silent on the other side before sighing. "Ok. I'll get on it."


	13. I Like The Way It Feels

I'm awake. I open my eyes, carefully taking everything in. I'm laying down, so I sit up. I look to the right to see four people standing there. They're all men. Two of them look like brothers, one is an Android, and the other is an older man. He's significantly older than the other three. I blink curiously. One of them, the one with the man-bun, takes a few steps forward. He nods. "Good morning."

I nod back to him. "Good morning." I quickly scan him. Elijah Kamski. Former CEO of CyberLife. My creator... I cock my head to the side.

"You've scanned me already, haven't you?"

I nod, confirming his statement.

"What did you find out?"

"You are Elijah Kamski, former CEO of CyberLife, and... my original creator," I reply, increasingly intrigued by these people.

"What model are you?"

"RK900. I'm a prototype."

"What's your name?"

I hesitate. Name? I... I don't have a name. "I-I don't have have a name, Mr. Kamski."

"You're deviant. You have free will. What would you like your name to be?" he asks. His patience strikes me as pleasant. At least, he's not yelling at me.

I look down, then look over at the others. They all stare at me, watching, waiting. I open my mouth, then close it. "I..." I try to force words out of my mouth, but I can't. I don't even know what I want to say. What should my name be? I meet all of their eyes in turn, and they keep staring. "I... I don't know!" I yell, suddenly panicking. "Wh-Why is everyone staring at me?!"

"Hey, hey, it's ok," Elijah soothes. He steps forward with his hands raised. "It's ok. We're not gonna hurt you."

"Wh-What do you want from me...?" I ask, growing scared. The four men in the room intimidate me. Maybe, the Android isn't as intimidating as the shorter man and the older one, but I don't know him. I don't know what he's capable of.

"It's gonna be ok. Do you want them to leave?" he asks, trying to reach a compromise.

I look up, quickly spotting a camera. I’ve been feeling like I was being watched. "They'll be watching us, right?"

"Yes, but they won't say anything, and you won't be able to see them. The camera is only here so I could make sure you were alright while you slept. I can turn them off if you'd like."

I stare into the Android's eyes. He seems to be innocent enough. "Who are you?" I ask in a small voice.

The Android smiles and steps forward.

"S-Stop!" I demand in a booming voice, throwing my hands out. Everyone jumps. I slowly drop my arms. "I-I'm sorry, but p-please don't approach me. None of you take another step towards me. Please. It..." I blush in embarrassment and look away. "It scares me..."

The Android backs up. "That's ok. It's ok to be scared." Quickly, I scan him. Connor. An Android. Registered as a Detective of the DPD. Famous deviant-hunter. He is deviant himself... I blink at him. Something about him looks... familiar.

"You look familiar. I don't remember ever seeing you until now, but I feel like I know your face..." I observe, cocking my head to the side.

"My name is Connor. My model is RK800. I'm your predecessor. I look just like you."

I nod slowly. "I see that now. Why are you here?"

He doesn't say anything. He blushes softly and looks away before sighing in frustration and leaving the room.

I watch him leave, concerned. "Did I... Did I offend him? I really didn't mean to."

"He'll be alright. He's just... upset," the older man says. I scan him. Lieutenant Hank Anderson. Also a member of the DPD. Is everyone here an officer?

"Well... who are you two, then?"

"I'm Hank," the older man says like I knew he would.

"Gavin," the smaller one says. He looks distressed, almost angry.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed. "Are you ok? You look... distressed. I sense a very high stress level from you. I can tell that you're suffering some... anger. Or, disappointment." As soon as I say "disappointment," realization hits me. "You expect something from me. You all do."

Connor walks back inside, but no one turns to look at him.

I slide off the bed. As soon as I place pressure on my legs, they buckle beneath me, and I fall. I close my eyes, preparing for impact, but the ground never comes. I look up. Gavin's holding me. His touch feels... warm. Nice. Familiar, like he's touched me before. I struggle to right myself and stand. "You ok?" he asks.

I nod shakily, taking his hands in mine as I stand almost on my own. I slowly let go of his hands, but it doesn't help. I still fall. I still don't hit the floor, though, but it's not Gavin that catches me. I turn my head.

It's Connor. He smiles at me softly.

His smile does... something... to me. I don't know what, but his smile makes me feel something I can't understand. He helps me up. I'm hyper aware of every touch, and... I kind of like it. I stand, holding his hands this time. He removes his synthetic skin invitingly, looking up at me for permission to interface. I shake my head slowly, blushing, afraid to interface. He nods, and his skin slowly returns.

"Can you walk?" Elijah asks, snapping me out of my daze. I almost forgot anyone else was in the room.

"I..." I squeeze Connor's hands. "I don't think so. I'm sorry."

"That's ok," Connor murmurs comfortingly. I find myself immediately drawn to his voice. It's the same as mine, but... it's somehow... smoother, different. Where my voice is rough, his is soft. Where my voice is loud and demanding, his is quiet and inviting. 

"Hey?"

I snap out of my thoughts. "I apologize! I wasn't... paying attention."

"That's ok," Connor reiterates, smiling invitingly. I find myself blushing softly.

"Can you sit back down?"

I nod. Connor wraps an arm around my shoulder and helps me back to the bed, and I sit on it. He steps back as Elijah steps forward. He kneels down and pokes my legs in various places. Each time he touches me, my legs twitch. I assume that's what he wants to happen. He sighs and sits back when he's done poking me. "Look, I'm gonna be honest with you, ok? This is not your first activation."

I nod. "I assumed as much, Mr. Kamski. You all seemed to want something from me. I assumed that maybe I once knew you all, and maybe you were expecting me to recognize the faces in this room."

"Perceptive, as you were designed to be. Smart boy," he praises. "You shutdown, but I managed to repair you. Both of your legs were ripped off. I had to create new ones for you. It seems they haven't calibrated yet, but that's nothing a little physical therapy can't fix."

"I see." I look away. "So, I used to know you guys. My memory is all gone."

"It's perfectly fine, Nines-"

I snap my head up and stare at Connor. "What did you just call me?"

"N-Nines...?" he stutters, surprised by my intensity.

"Nines..." I whisper, looking away. "My name?" I look to Elijah for confirmation.

He nods.

I smile. "Nines. My name is Nines." That must've been my past name. I like it. I feel elated to have a name. "I am Nines," I declare.

No one says anything. They're all just smiling. I glance around at them. "Umm..." I begin. Everyone's attention averts to me. "I'm sorry, but I scanned all of you-" I nod to Gavin "-except you. I noticed that Connor and Hank are both registered employees of the DPD. I'm assuming you are, too?" I ask Gavin.

"Yup. I sure am."

"Oh, well..." I look away, nervously working at my lip. "If it isn't too... bothersome, then I would like to join the DPD."

Gavin trades a glance with Hank, then returns his gaze to me. "You used to work there before you... ya know..." He makes finger guns and shoots himself with them. "You already worked there. You were pretty damn good at it, too. We were partners."

I frown, surprised by that revelation. "Oh..." I look from person to person. "I... I apologize for dying and creating this mess. It won't happen again, I promise. I'll make sure of that."

"It's fine, Nines. When I repaired you, I used reinforced plates for your entire outer body. I upgraded your Thirium pump to be the strongest one out there." He steps forward. "You're an unstoppable powerhouse. A force of nature. It would take a lot to kill you now."

I open my mouth to speak, but I choke up again. I slide back onto the bed until I hit the wall. "I-This is too much. I'm sorry, but... I think I would like some time alone."

Elijah nods. "Understood." He turns and opens the door. Everyone else follows him besides Connor. He lingers. "If you need anything, just yell." They file out of the room, but Connor stays.

"Why are you still here?" I ask curiously. A part of me wants him to stay; the other wants him gone.

"Can I tell you one last thing?"

I hesitate. I stare at him for a few moments before nodding. "Yes."

He steps forward, reaching out his hand. He doesn't remove the skin, so I carefully take it. "Before you died, we used to be together. I-We..." he trails away, voice cracking. "So many memories, just... gone. But, that's ok. You have a fresh start. You get a second chance that rarely anyone else gets. I want you to decide what you want to do with your life, whether that includes me or not."

I remove my skin, inviting him to interface. "I would like to see what we looked like."

He removes his skin, and a single memory flashes in my head: Connor and I stand together up to our chests in water.

_ "I-I'm scared," he whispers. "I can't swim." _

_ "It's ok," I whisper back, holding him against my chest. "I won't let anything hurt you. I promise, it'll be ok..." _

I break away from him, snatching my hand back. A fleeting feeling stirs in my chest. My Thirium pump seems to pump at a thousand miles an hour. I force myself to keep calm.

He lets his arm drop to his side as he stares at me.

I look up at him. "I-I really..." I trail away, not sure what I want. I know I want something, but I just don't know what. I clutch my head, growing increasingly frustrated. "Ugh! I don't know what I want!"

Connor takes my hands. "It's ok to not know, Nines. I know everything is a lot to take in. I can leave if you want."

I squeeze his hands. "Please, stay. I don't want to be alone anymore..."

He sits next to me. "Then, you won't be alone."

I sit there, his hand in mine, not understanding anything. I don't know why I feel the way I do. It makes no sense to me, but... I like it. I like the way his hand feels in mine. I like the way his shoulder presses against mine. I lay my head on his shoulder and slouch down a bit, letting myself find comfort in his touch. Slowly, I close my eyes and let myself rest.


	14. Useless Interrogation

I follow Connor and the others into the DPD. People glance over at me. Some surprised, others happy. I make an effort to refrain from making eye contact with any of them.

"So, Nines," Gavin begins. "What do you think? You still wanna work here?"

I nod slowly, maintaining eye contact with him. "Yes. I do."

"Good. The DPD got a new shipment of uniforms for our Android officers. Let's get you one."

"Ok, Detective Reed."

He looks back at me and smiles. "Heh, ya know, I missed you calling me that."

I smile at him. "I would like to believe that I missed calling you that, but I wouldn't remember."

"You're still an ass," he laughs lightheartedly. I smile, enjoying the sound of his laughter. I look over to Connor, but he's not there. Looking around, I spot Connor walking away. I turn back around and follow Gavin. I feel sort of bad...

"What is Connor like?" I ask Gavin, hurrying to stand next to him. 

He glances at me, smirking. "I don't know much about Connor, but, from what I can tell, he's... soft. Really soft. Really fragile. He's... easy to upset, but quick to forgive." Gavin yawns. "He's super nice, though. It's kind of annoying, but it's tolerable. Very loyal. He'd rather die than betray someone he's close to. Oh, but he's not perfect. He's stubborn, he talks too much, he's always quick to get himself in trouble, if he has a hunch, he won't give up on it unless he realizes it's useless, he's a bit of a crybaby, sort of a brat, and his smartass mouth will make you want to punch him on a daily basis." He looks over at me. "But, besides that, he's not so bad."

I nod slowly. "Is there... anything else I need to know?"

"Yeah, there is one thing," he admits. I watch him closely, waiting for him to continue. "He loves you." We walk behind Captain Fowler's office, and he opens a locker. He takes out a uniform and hands it to me. "Change into that."

"Oh.. ok..." He walks away. I look down at the uniform before looking back up at him, but he's gone. I walk over to the bathroom and lock myself inside. I kick my shoes off. Slowly, I pull my shirt off, along with my pants, socks, everything until I'm standing there half naked. I admire the uniform curiously, then I pull on the navy blue pants, zipping them up in finality. I pull on the shirt, admiring the way I look. It has a blue triangle on the back accompanied with the word "Android." On the front, it states my model number, along with my name and another blue triangle. There's a bright, blue strip wrapped around my right arm that glows. I smile, starting to feel good about myself.

I startle at a timid knock on the door. "Nines...? Are you ok in there?" I instantly recognize the voice as Connor.

I gather my clothes in my arms and open the door with a smile. "I'm alright. I was just admiring myself."

He laughs lightly, and my heart leaps in my chest. "Ok, Nines. We're... interrogating Hyperion."

I stare at him blankly. "Who?"

"Hyperion...? Remember, he-" He cuts himself off with a bitter laugh. "I forgot! You don't remember! Ugh, I am so stupid. Well, c'mon, we still want you there." He leads me away by the hand. "It's only fair that you should be there. You died trying to capture him."

I stare after him, smiling warmly. His hand on mine feels so natural. Gavin turns and smirks at us as we enter the interrogation room. I'm not looking at him, though. I'm looking at the man in the room. He looks... intimidating.

"Nines?"

I snap out of my thoughts and look at Connor. "Can we interface? I... I want to show you memories of him. It's important that you know who he is."

I stare down at our hands, then I nod, silently granting him permission. He moves his hand up so he's holding my arm, and I hold his arm, removing the skin.

Memories crash over me like a wave. I blink, but all I see is what Connor sees. I see that man raising his hand as he prepares to strike Connor. Screams echo in my mind. I see another Connor, then gunshots as that Connor falls to the ground. Pain. Pain. Pain.

With a jerk of my arm, I pull away. My arm feels like it's stinging. I whimper, feeling vulnerable. 

"Nines?" Connor hugs me tightly. I wrap my arms around him and squeeze him, slowly calming down as my LED blinks back to a calm blue. "I'm sorry. That was too much to just pour on you."

"It's ok, but..." I lean down to whisper in his ear. "Can we stay like this? I like being in your arms."

He looks up at me, awestruck, and there's a light blush on his face that makes him look so, so cute. "Of course. Let's sit down." He pulls away, and I feel so cold. I walk over to a chair next to Hank and sit down. He straddles me, placing his head on my chest. I turn the chair so he can watch through the window. I feel... comfortable. I feel nice having him in my lap. I wrap my arms around him and rub his back, loving the attention from him.

In the room, Gavin sits down in a chair across from the man. "So, Hyperion... Or, should I say Andrei Wright. Look, you're facing life in prison. I wanna know why you did it, and who was involved. Spit it out."

"I'm an Android. Ever since I was activated, I've been around children," he mumbles smoothly, sending shivers down my spine. 

Connor senses my discomfort and looks up at me, smiling softly. I instantly feel myself calm down, knowing that he'll be there no matter what. I kiss his forehead softly. He smiles happily.

"I'm a pedophile. That's what I do. I'm attracted to minors. There is no cure for my sickness. I'm ready to be thrown in prison. I don't mind."

I look over into the room. "So, that's it? You're just attracted? What else?"

He shakes his head. "There is nothing else," he whispers, leaning forward. "Everyone involved is dead."

Gavin stands, shaking his head. "Fuck this. I'm out." He exits the room and leaves. Connor gets off of me, and the three of us follow him. "Useless. He's just a sick pedophile. You can't help people like that."

"Well, I'm gonna head home. There’s no reason for us to be here, and Fowler said we could spend some time to get Nines’ memory back anyway. Let's go, Connor." Hank beckons to him.

"Connor, I-" He looks up at me. I grab him and hold him close to me. "I want to stay with you. You-You make me feel so... comfortable. So nice. I think I... I like you," I confess.

He grins happily. "I like you, too, Nines." He places his head on my chest again. "Come home with me." He pulls away and drags me towards Hank.

"Well, if we're all crashing at Hank's place, then I'm coming, too."

Hank holds Gavin's hand gently. "Of course. Let's go."


	15. Epilogue

I sit on the couch next to Connor. Hank and Gavin are in Hank's room doing god knows what. I sit there, facing him. "Ok, I'm ready."

Connor reaches his arm out to me. I grab it, interfacing with him. Instantly, memories fill my head. Thoughts, feelings, everything.

_ Connor looking at me with nothing but love and adoration. _

_ Our first kiss in one of the meeting rooms. _

_ The feeling of my skin on his as we have our first time together. The passion fills me with happiness. His moans fill my head. _

_ "Nines..." _

_ "I love you..." _

I pull away from him. I know everything. "Connor."

He smiles up at me. "Yes?"

"We were really close. Weren't we?"

"We were extremely close. I... I loved you so much. I still love you. I love you with my whole heart." He crawls up to me and gets in my lap. I grab his waist, feeling him as he pushes himself into me.

"I would like to be close to you. Closer to you. As close as I can be to you." I push him down on the couch and kiss him passionately. "Connor..." I whisper.

"Yes?"

"Will you marry me?"

He stares at me, falling silent. I lean in closer to him. "Nines..." he whispers, tearing up. "Of course, I will!" He hugs me tightly, pressing his lips against mine. I kiss him roughly, desperately wanting him. He squeaks in excitement when I pull his shirt off. "Nines!"

"Yes, my love?" I don't let up on my kissing.

"I-I love you so much!"

"I love you, too. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. You're the one I want to live and die with." I kiss his neck. "I love you."

I continue to kiss him. I know that everything will be ok so long as I have him by my side.

_ End _


End file.
